


One Week

by VityaKissesGold



Series: Then There Were Three [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alpha Katsuki Yuuri, Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst and Fluff and Smut, BDSM, But He Finds Victuuri and is Happy, Discovering Kinks, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Getting to Know Each Other, Kinky, M/M, Mpreg, Multi, Muteness, Omega Verse, Omega Yuri Plisetsky, Otabeks Dad is Awful Tho, Pack Building, Pack Dynamics, Polyamorous Pack, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Rape, Switch Victor Nikiforov, Switch Yuri Katsuki, Switch Yuri Plisetsky, Teaching, Yuri Plisetsky Has a Sad Past, Yuri Plisetsky is Mute, mostly happy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-05
Updated: 2020-05-07
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:00:25
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 27,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24015589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VityaKissesGold/pseuds/VityaKissesGold
Summary: Yuri Plisetsky has been in and out of the dreaded omega houses since he was a boy, navigating his way through a world where omega are treated little better than servants or slaves.  Once he finally escapes his bonded alpha's home, pregnant, uneducated, and with nowhere to go, he ends up in another alpha's house.  Viktor and Yuuri seem to be kind, if complete idiots, and they offer him an opportunity to join their pack that might be too good to pass up."One week. Just one week of living the way that we would if you were part of our pack."  Viktor tells him.  But that's just the start of the crazy world these alpha live in.  Yuri quickly discovers he's in way over his head, but he also might kind of like it?**Please mind the Content Warning on the first chapter - after that, it's pretty happy!**
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri & Yuri Plisetsky, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov, Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov/Yuri Plisetsky, Victor Nikiforov & Yuri Plisetsky
Series: Then There Were Three [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1732186
Comments: 17
Kudos: 142





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Content Warning - See ending notes for a summary of events. Skip to the first "αΩα" break if you would like to skip it, this is where the scary tags come into play (Rape), and then everything else after this point is completely consensual. 
> 
> \---
> 
> Omegaverse Dynamics: There shouldn't be anything that's too different from general omegaverse fics except that alpha can get pregnant, too. Watch the notes, if anything else deviates, it'll be posted here.
> 
> \---
> 
> This is meant to be a series of one shots, with a multi-chap fic to get it started to set up the world and plot of the rest of the series. Kinks will be tagged in the future. If you have any suggestions/requests, please comment! Subscribe to the series for updates!

The door slammed from somewhere behind him and Yuri snarled, did his best to hiss behind the ball that was keeping his mouth wrenched open. Pushing out with everything he had, desperate, he tried to keep the alpha approaching him at bay. It didn't work. He knew it wouldn't. Not when it was 'his' alpha. 

The mark he bore as proof on his neck tingled with dread and, he was loathe to admit, anticipation. Whimpering behind the guttural growl, he tested the restraints at his ankles, his wrists again, bent over the bench. As each footstep grew louder, barely discernable behind his spitting and desperation to get away, he only grew more frantic. His body was spread, exposed, dripping with a need he rejected. 

A hand gripped just above the bond, scruffed and his cries turned into protesting mewling. He clenched his eyes shut. He didn't want to see his alpha. He would vomit if he did and there was no where for it to go except back down. Drool slipped down his chin and onto the leather that braced him beneath his chest and a cold dagger of panic slipped into his chest, right into his lungs as he recognized the insistent scent that preceded the alpha's words.

"You will be _silent._ "

The Command choked off the scream of outrage as his eyes flew open, feral. He tried to scream again, and only a retched breath resounded behind the ball that held deep imprints of his teeth. All he could register was the smug sneer, the bared teeth that looked more like fangs, and the oppressive arousal of an alpha that was poised to take and take. 

The scent went straight to where he didn't want it to go. His body screamed to be filled, the fever unsated and as desperate as his frenzied attempts to escape. Heat was behind him now, and he didn't want it. His hips were spread and he didn't want it. The pressure was a relief and he didn't want it. He didn't, he didn't, he didn't, he didn't…

Limbs slacked as he hung over the bench, trying to catch air that he had to fight for. His nose was stuffed full with trapped pheromones, snot, and tears that wouldn't stop coming. Yuri didn't _cry_. But he was. Emerald eyes rimmed with red and swollen. His slick and spend puddled below him, he could barely see it for the salt that crusted his eyelashes into sticky clumps. His throat was almost as raw as his ass, trying to scream, beg, howl, whatever he thought might possibly work, but nothing did. Nothing prevented the fact that he was currently tied, knotted, to the disgusting old man that had picked him up from the omega house. 

There was a rumble of a laugh that he felt in his core from behind him. His stomach churned and he tried to curl up and hide in his shame. 

"Silence becomes you. I think we'll keep it."

Yuri's sob was soundless as he felt the alpha remove himself and put something else in, something to hold everything in, make it take. If his eyes could see, or if he could hear anything else but the rush of blood in his neck, he would have curled deeper into himself as the next omega beside him screamed. Vaguely, he'd known she'd watched everything, knowing she was next. But she wasn't Commanded into silence. 

**αΩα**

The pounding in his chest was almost audible. It was the one thing he thought might give himself away. His scent was nestled beneath a tight scarf, one that the stupid alpha had drenched in his scent, as a 'gift' for Yuri's nest. It wasn't until Yuri realized it would mask his own distinctly omega scent that he actually ended up being grateful for it, as much as he couldn't stand the necessity of how the scent made his skin prick uncomfortably. His wrists were hidden under long sleeves that were tightly cuffed, his thighs wouldn't give away anything unless he were stupid enough to pull his pants down. It'd be at least eight months before he'd have to worry about those scent glands trying to entice anyone to him. At least, he hoped so. 

The alpha's son, a beta, and the only one that had ever shown any sort of kindness to him, peeked around the corner to see if the coast was clear. Yuri had only met him a handful of times. The first had been when he'd introduced himself as 'Otabek' and draped a scentless blanket over him, about a week after he'd been taken. Yuri had still been trembling with use in a nest that he hadn't made, that didn't make him feel safe, and the blanket had been a comfort. The second was when Yuri had been adorned with pretty jewels and a stylish hairstyle, sheer fabric that left no modesty, a taming implant inserted beneath his skin to keep him compliant. That was a family dinner. Otabek, his father, his siblings, Yuri and the other two omega that also had that glossy, aroused look that Yuri fought against with every fiber of his being. The implant released constant soothing pheromones, an aphrodisiac that he couldn't escape. Otabek had looked at him sympathetically, as his older _alpha_ brothers and sisters laughed at the omega's expense, calling him and the other omega 'step-mother'. 

After that, Yuri had discovered a corner of the library that seemed mostly abandoned. It was a nook tucked away behind a bookshelf and was dusty. It had another scentless blanket, and then a collection of little figurines of action heroes displayed on a stack of picture books. Yuri couldn't read, but he liked looking at the illustrations anyway. They told the story just as well as any words could, he thought. Otabek had found him there, a blink being the only thing that gave away his surprise, and had simply sat down and pulled out a notebook and his music player. They hadn't talked, and Yuri wished he had said _something_ then, as he still had his voice. 

This time, though, Otabek had come to his room. The nest was still the same as the first. Yuri hadn't made it, much to his alpha's dismay. The servants had done it. So Yuri didn't care that Otabek had crawled in, and shook him awake. 

"You're leaving. Now." Was all he'd said.

Yuri didn’t know what that meant, and a spike of fear had entered his scent, but Otabek had just thrown clothes, actual _clothes_ , at him, and turned away so Yuri could dress. He dressed slowly, thoughts racing of being killed, of being sent to the omega slave camps that everyone pretended didn't actually exist. When Otabek turned, Yuri had only managed to pull on the pair of pants. The beta had stepped forward urgently, and Yuri stepped back, hands up defensively and that made Otabek's dark eyes flash. 

Wordlessly, he grabbed Yuri's wrist and turned his arm to expose the thin scar and bump where the implant was. 

"Hold still."

Yuri flinched away when Otabek brought out a pocket knife and sliced just above the implant. A squeeze sent a sharp line of pain through Yuri's arm and the implant popped out, bloody, onto Otabek's palm. Wide eyes watched as it was crushed beneath Otabek's heel and Yuri began to understand that behind the hurried urgency the beta was _helping_. Yuri let himself be dragged into the bathroom, where the small cut was washed and a bandage slipped over it. Already, Yuri's body was starting to clear, the half-erection he seemed to always be sporting was calmed, and he took a breath, a clean one, for the first time in months. 

Otabek tugged the shirt over his head and left him to thread his arms through the sleeves. It was Otabek who had retrieved the scarf, dismantling the nest and sniffing each scrap of fabric until he found one that really made him recoil and then wrapped Yuri's neck in it. 

Now, he grabbed Yuri's wrist and yanked him through the hall and out the back door. They weaved quietly through the garden, a secret trail that only Otabek seemed to know. Yuri noticed it avoided where he knew security cameras were, but he thought that there was others hidden in the trees. Apparently he'd been wrong, or Otabek didn't care or didn't know of them. As they reached the gate, Otabek reached into his pocket for a set of keys and shoved the creaky thing open. He turned and fished a wad of paper bills and a pill pack out of his pocket. 

"For your heat." He said shortly, pushing it all into Yuri's palm. Apparently Otabek didn't know he was pregnant. Would it change things if he did? "Go get on a train and never come back."

Yuri didn't need telling twice. He scampered out of the gate and broke off into a sprint. It wasn't until he was several blocks away that he realized he hadn't even attempted to give a thankful gesture. 

**αΩα**

He should have taken a train. He _really_ should have taken a train. He'd made it to the train station, but couldn't read any of the timetables, let alone the signs that would show him what train to actually board. Instead of asking for help, not that that would have been very easy without his voice, or that he had anywhere to go, he'd turned tail and ran out, hoping that the security people hadn't taken notice of him. He was a bonded omega, out without his alpha or a letter of permission to be out. If anyone caught him, they'd either send him back, or take him somewhere worse.

It had been days and days of non-stop running, he didn't know how many, he hadn't bothered to try and count. Dodging between patrols, sleeping under bushes, in reeds between towns, following a road that would lead him gods knew where. He knew he was far north, as the servants had complained about the long winters, far longer than what he had been used to when he lived in Moscow. That had been years ago, though, and he'd not been really old enough to pay attention. All he knew was that the summers had been warm, the winters had been cold, and his grandfather was the person he loved best in all the world. 

He was running low on the money Otabek had given him, and he was sure one of the proprietors of a coffee stand had taken double what he was supposed to a couple towns back. Yuri couldn't know how much everything was, he recognized the numbers, kind of, and he really could only count. It was his third owner that had taught him how, so he could count out a dozen pastries to put into a box for the shop she ran. She had promised to teach him to read, after she was sure he wasn't going to run away, but had died before she had the chance. She hadn't been bad. 

The others… had been. 

The first had been abrasive and physical. He hadn't permanently marked Yuri, though. Small victories, he supposed. But when it was clear that Yuri was angry, defiant, and would sabotage anything and everything he could, he'd been sent back to auction. The second was much the same. The fourth, though, the one after his first heat while in the omega house… he assumed the baby growing in his stomach would leave marks far worse and permanent than any whipping he might have endured. 

It was the baby's hunger that took him into the next town. It was large. Large enough that Yuri wasn't spared a glance with how everyone ran about on their own business. He found a coffee stand, ordered a tea and pastry by pointing at the display case, and it left him with his pockets holding the pill pack and a few coins. He wouldn’t have enough for another meal. 

He walked around, enjoying the anonymity of a large city, sipping his tea and nibbling on his pastry. Wondering if he could bear to eat only half now, or maybe even a few bites, and save the rest for later, he tucked the rest of it into his pocket. He knew he was filthy. Scrubbing his hands and face in icy ponds or small streams had done absolutely nothing to keep him clean, and he missed having a soft bed. Though, he wouldn't trade the freedom to not be stretched and filled for anything. He would never let himself be used as a warm hole again. 

Sitting on a bench in a park, after looking around to make sure he was alone, he decided he needed a plan. The fact that no one really noticed him here was good. It meant that he could probably find something here that would help him get back to Moscow. He knew he wasn't there, Moscow didn't smell like this. At least, he didn't think so. But he'd remembered Moscow had bigger buildings, felt more squished together. 

He wondered if there were any omega refuges here. They were fables, spoken of in hushed whispers in omega houses. Apparently the ones outside of Russia were actually helpful. The ones here… there had been one omega who had gone to one, but then just ended up in a house that would sell her instead. Yuri shuddered at the thought, anger bubbling up inside him over those who would lure suffering omega into false security and then send them to be sold for whatever their owners wanted to do to them. Yuri, being a male omega, was always certain to be sold for sex. Male omega were rare. If he had been born female, he might have had a chance of just hard labor, like his third owner had bought him for. She hadn't been interested in sex, she'd just needed help in her shop and then liked holding him at night as she slept. She'd said he reminded her of her son, who had died in some sort of accident, and she just liked having him around. She'd been a beta, too, so it had been even more safe. He missed that, terribly. Maybe he could find someone else like her. 

He snorted into his tea. This wasn't the time for stupid fantasies. He needed to figure out what to do _now_ , not reminisce of things that wouldn't ever happen again. 

"This seat taken?"

Yuri jumped and spilled part of his tea over his hands. It wasn't hot enough to burn anymore, but it still irritated him. It was the last one he'd be able to enjoy for a while. He glared up at the man that had spoken and paused. He looked a little like Otabek. At least… his hard stare did. The man clearly wasn't Russian, though. He was Asian, and with long hair that framed his face and ears, and on a leash in front of him was a large, fluffy, grey and white dog. 

Yuri opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off, but then remembered he couldn't and just crossed his legs and arms stubbornly. The man didn't seem to care and sat next to Yuri on the bench, too close to comfort. The dog yawned lazily and sat at their owner's knees, looking at Yuri's pocket like they could smell the pastry. Yuri scowled, and made to stand up, but the man gripped his arm, hard, and pulled him down.

"Don't run. You won't get far."

Yuri whirled to him, yanking his arm away, but the man held firm. 

"Look around, omega. You've been sighted and they're closing in. At least with a beta, you don't seem so suspicious. You're pregnant and not blocking your scent, even I can smell you, and that's illegal here in St. Petersburg."

Frozen in place, Yuri slowly turned his head, and sure enough, there were a few police men that were staring at him, at them. Settling back against the bench as best he could, he curled his fists on his knees, ready to spring and run if he had to. The beta next to him just reached over and pet his dog. 

"If you want out of here without questions, you are going to hold my hand, and follow me a step behind. You will keep your head low." The beta said quietly, "And if we can shake them. I'll take you somewhere you'll be safe." 

When Yuri didn't say anything, the beta turned to look at him. Emeralds narrowed suspiciously at him, and when the beta offered his hand, he nearly knocked it away. He didn't get the chance though. An officer appeared in front of them with a frown.

"Everything okay here?" He asked with faux concern. Yuri felt his eyes go wide. "This omega has been here alone for an hour."

"That was my fault." The stranger said, reaching into his jacket pocket. "I was late meeting him."

A folded paper was passed between them, and the officer read it, his eyes widening as he reached the end. Yuri burned to know what it said.

" _The_ Nikiforov?"

"Obviously." The beta sniffed.

"He's filthy. And unblocked. You'd think Nikiforov would take better care of his omega."

"Which means I need to get him back to his alpha for a bath and more blockers." The beta stood, a hand hooked under Yuri's arm and dragging him to his feet. "I already have to explain why I am late, but I'd be happy to give Nikiforov and his husband your badge number as the reason." 

The man held out his hand expectantly for the officer to return the paper, which he did with a displeased growl. _Alpha_. Yuri trembled, but the beta remained, of course, unaffected. 

"I think your story is shit." The officer snarled. "You're coming with me and we'll see about whether you're telling the truth.

"Thank you for your dedication to your duty, officer." The beta drawled out, clearly meaning anything but that. He turned to Yuri with a sigh. "Come on, Omega. Let's go see your owner." 

Yuri's stomach plummeted as the officer cuffed him, and the beta let him. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content Warning:
> 
> Yuri is strapped down and raped, it is implied he is in heat or extremely aroused. The alpha raping him used an Alpha Command to make him be quiet, and he doesn't undo the Command after, saying that he likes Yuri being silent. He puts a plug in Yuri to ensure pregnancy. The alpha then moves on to rape other omega who are in the same room as Yuri and in his same situation.
> 
> This isn't terribly explicit, but it doesn't pull punches. The actual rape is not described, as it is not a kink for this fic/series.


	2. Chapter 2

The back of the car was stifling. Yuri had been clipped in, hands locked to the floor and forcing him to bend over in faux submission. The beta sat on the opposite side, his dog between them. Of course, the beta wasn't locked into the car, but his phone had been confiscated. Yuri tried the restraints again, as quietly as he could. There would be no way for him to get out of them. 

Every stoplight seemed like a futile chance to escape, if Yuri could throw himself out of the car. There wasn't any chance of it, but he was certain every rolling stop was bringing him closer to horrors he couldn't yet comprehend. It seemed to be forever as they drove, the silence oppressive. Yuri wasn't sure he would have said anything even if he could. 

Finally, the car stopped in front of a gate, and the officer rolled down the window to push a button. The clear divider was solid, and muffled any conversation that the officer was having with the speaker. The gate opened and the car rolled forward again onto a driveway. 

The house was smaller than the house he'd been kept in previously, but in some ways it was more grand. It stood proud amid tall trees and a manicured garden, and the man that was standing on the porch was ethereal. Silver hair, brilliant blue eyes under a fringe that Yuri could see from the car window as he craned his head to look. He wore a pair of gray sweatpants and a fitted black tee, as though he'd been working out just prior to Yuri being brought in, though his feet were clad only in socks. It didn't detract from his imposing appearance however, and pink lips pulled into a frown as the car stopped. Yuri knew he was an alpha without even having to smell him. It was in how he carried himself. Confident, dominating, with that condescending sneer that all alpha seemed to wear. 

The officer got out and nodded his head as he approached. Yuri watched as the alpha snapped something at him, coming down the steps and walking right to Yuri's door. Yuri couldn't help the flinch as those blue eyes landed on him and he averted his gaze as the door opened. 

"Oh, my darling! I've been so worried-" The voice started out warm, and Yuri could almost believe he _was_ worried, but then the tone went icy. "What the hell is this?! You lock up my omega, insult my husband's assistant by making him ride along with you? Release his cuffs, now!"

The pheromones that were rolling off the silver haired alpha were oppressive, and Yuri couldn't help but bow his head in submission, seething at the effect. But it seemed the officer wasn't anticipating such a show of force, as he stumbled forward, fumbling with his keys and unlocked Yuri out of the cuffs. The second he was free, he scrambled from the car, intent on running out the gate he could see was still open, and fell right into the waiting arms of the alpha.

"Oh my! I’m sorry, darling. You must have been so frightened… Let's get you inside and cleaned up, yes?" The arms that were holding him were tight, and Yuri squirmed against them until a hand was brought up to his neck. It would have been a caring, tender gesture, if his thumb and forefinger didn't squeeze his nape, making him more pliant. His muscles trembled and went limp as he collapsed against the alpha, a humiliating whimper from the scruffing falling out of his throat. Yuri was aware of how the alpha held him, almost gently now, as he turned toward the officer. "Your captain will be hearing of this, sir. Distressing my pregnant omega and insulting my house. Get off my property!"

Yuri hadn't even noticed the dog and the beta climbing out of the car, but they both appeared next to him as the officer scrambled back to the driver's side with mumbled apologies. Clearly he didn't want to be embarrassed further by the alpha's extraordinary pheromones again. 

As the car began its turn to leave, the alpha smoothed back Yuri's hair.

"I am so sorry. I couldn't have you running off. It would have been so much worse for you. I hope I didn't scruff you too hard? I hate doing that." 

Yuri did his best to glare up at him, still unable to get his feet to completely hold his own weight. 

The alpha noticed and scooped him up with ease and took him inside. Yuri looked around at the entryway, the marble flooring covered with a plush rug, a grand staircase, and another man, also Asian, and bouncing from foot to foot as they entered.

"Vitya! Did it work?"

"Of course it did!" The alpha carrying Yuri said and set him on a chaise. He smoothed Yuri's matted blond hair back away from his face and looked at him carefully. "Wow! You are an absolutely darling boy."

Yuri snarled at the silver haired man, trying to get away, scooting backwards and nearly toppling off the seat.

"Vitya…" Warned the Japanese man, releasing a wave of calming pheromones. Yuri tried to resist them, he really did, but the very nature of omega betrayed him and the next snarl he was about to give died in his throat. Instead, it turned into a soft whimper, which was completely mortifying. But the man ignored it with a soft smile and continued in accented, but perfect, Russian, "It really is alright, _Omega-san_. We aren't going to hurt you. Or your baby. I promise."

The promise sounded completely empty, until the man presented the scent gland on his wrist for Yuri to sniff. Tentatively, Yuri bent his head, keeping his burning emerald eyes on the two alpha, and took a deep inhale. All he could detect was concern and worry, and was that… anxiety? Yuri snorted, as though to get the alpha scent out of his nose, and recoiled backward. He stopped struggling momentarily, however, now more curious about these two strange alpha.

They were both beautiful. Of that, there was no doubt. The one called 'Vitya', which Yuri figured was just his nickname, his name was probably Viktor, was tall,, and, despite his silver hair, he was young and built very well. The one that didn't have a name yet, but was clearly from Japan, as he was dressed in a demure navy kimono with white outlines of cranes soaring either through sky or above water, was raven haired with blue half-rimmed square glasses that hid a pair of eyes the same color of the gingerbread Yuri's grandfather would make him. He, too, seemed to be fit, but in a softer way. The bulk of his house robe was clearly hiding a quiet strength that he emitted, even if his scent was giving off a bit of a nervous tinge. 

The entire house reeked of alpha, and it made Yuri want to run, but as the calming pheromones the other one was still releasing took deeper root, he could sense something else entirely. It was comforting, soothing, and in spite of himself, Yuri was beginning to relax. The Japanese alpha was kneeling before him, watching him with a contemplative look on his face, eyes bright.

"Thank you, Seung Gil." the taller alpha said to the beta that had found him. His would-be savior seemed to unstiffen, though he kept his arms firmly crossed. Shoulders releasing their tension seemed to be the signal for his dog to sit down as well, as the husky simply sat by their owner's feet. They looked up at him and panted happily, like they had done a good job and were expecting a cut of prime beef later as their reward. 

"I didn't know where else to take him." Seung Gil muttered, "Sorry, if it causes you trouble."

"No trouble at all." Vitya said with an easy smile. "We'll get together and have dinner some time, yes? After things have calmed down."

Seung Gil only sniffed and shrugged one shoulder. Rather than reply, he seemed to take the offer for dinner as a dismissal, and began to walk toward the door. His dog stayed put until the man snapped his fingers for them to follow, and they trotted off with their tail wagging behind them.

Yuri watched as the tall alpha shut the front door and turned the latch to the lock. As the bolt engaged, he knew he was completely trapped. Whatever calm Yuri had previously been feeling fled as panic set in once again. The Japanese one seemed to sense this and placed a gentle hand on Yuri's forearm. Yuri jerked away and growled.

"Vitya," the alpha began, "Would you go get the collar?"

"What collar?" the other asked, cocking his head to the side, and suddenly Yuri was reminded of an overly excitable puppy. The Japanese man just stared at him, meaningfully, and Vitya seemed to get the hint. "Oh! _That_ collar! Of course, my love, I'll be right back."

As he scurried out of the room, the Japanese one turned with a fond smile that Yuri was sure wasn't for him. It was just as well, whatever _collar_ the silver alpha went to go fetch, Yuri wasn't going to let them put it on him, and if they somehow managed it, he'd just break out of it. At this point, it was a waiting game to escape these alpha, too. He'd did it once, and he would for sure do it once more, maybe there was a servant here that would take pity on him. 

"He's a bit absent minded sometimes." he said apologetically with a shake of his head. "I'm sorry… Seems I'm absent minded, too. I'm Yuuri."

Yuri stared. The alpha stared back with an expectant sort of look, like he was meant to give his name when the alpha _clearly_ already knew it.

"What's your name?" the alpha calling himself 'Yuuri' asked, and Yuri scoffed. If he could talk, he would have demanded what game these two alpha were playing, but all he could do was growl.

"Are you alright?" The alpha reached out and tried to touch his head.

Yuri snapped and kicked out with his legs, landing squarely in the alpha's side. As he toppled to the floor with a loud thud, Yuri smirked at being able to still defend himself. The alpha coughed and rolled to his hands and tried to regain his wind, hand where Yuri's feet had hit.

Of course, that was the moment the other alpha returned with a leather case casually tucked under his arm. As he entered the room, his eyes widened at seeing his mate on the floor wincing and struggling for air.

"Yusha!" he cried out, letting the case fall to the floor as he hurried to the other alpha's side. "What happened?"

The one called Vitya seemed to put it together rather quickly, though, and the scent of fury flooded the foyer. Yuri's breath strangled in his throat as the force of the anger slammed into him. Never before had he felt such a powerful alpha, he couldn't breathe. Eyes beginning to water, his blood pounded in his ears. Panic began to set in as he tried to gasp out how he was sorry, that he wouldn't do it again, if he could only get some _air._

"Vitya!" an urgent voice echoed from somewhere in front of him. He knew it was the one that said his name was the same as his, somewhere he knew that, but his vision was starting to go gray around the edges.

After another agonizing moment that felt like hours, Yuri was gasping the air into his lungs. Somehow, he had fallen over to the floor, the marble cold beneath his cheek. He was looking at the two alphas, the silver one was still glaring at him, and he wanted to flinch away. It was what the darker one was doing that made him stare.

Both of them were on their knees, pressed flush together in an embrace. The tall alpha had his arms protectively around the smaller, and the smaller was kissing and biting along his neck.

"I'm alright…" he was saying softly between kisses, "I'm okay. I get worse from our skating lessons… he's just scared. He doesn't know he's safe now."

Yuri watched confusedly as the Japanese man forced Vitya's eyes to look at him. He caressed the man's face and the anger still lining his expression literally seemed to melt. The smaller alpha pulled him insistently into a passionate kiss, and that seemed to do the trick. Yuri could only look at the odd display. Never had he seen another alpha seeming to submit to another. He'd seen omega do the same exact thing, or try to, and fail with disastrous results. These two were definitely freaks of nature. The calm of the Japanese alpha was pushed out against every wall, every crevice of the room, and all the fury and anger was drowned out as the silver alpha completely sunk into his mate's embrace.

Once entirely calm, the silver alpha gave a quick rove of his hands over the smaller alpha's body, as if to reassure himself that everything was truly alright. Then, he turned to Yuri, and his stare was icy, though he reigned himself back.

"I'll forgive you this once. But hurt my mate in anger again, and…" he never got to finish his threat, as said mate took him into another kiss.

"Hush." Was the simple, and quiet, command as they parted. Vitya looked sullenly at Yuuri and was met with a quelling and severe look that Yuri thought was far more frightening than any threat he could have been given. Yuuri was clearly an extremely strong alpha, belied by all his soft edges and calming pheromones. "Go get Omega-san into a bath. I need to make sure you didn't break the collar."

Yuri froze in place, still on the floor as he'd watched the odd exchange between the two of them. A bath? No way in hell did he want to get naked in front of these strangers, especially the one that just nearly choked him to death. 

But Yuuri was already standing and crossing the foyer to where the leather box had fallen, and Vitya was getting to his own feet, ready to pick up Yuri and drag him deeper into the too-large house.

"Just don't." he said, reading Yuri's intent to struggle. His voice was firm and tired. "I don't want to make Yusha mad by Commanding you. But I will if you try to escape."

For once, Yuri held his tongue, though he did stick it out in defiance. It was childish, he knew, but he really didn't want to have another alpha's Command, and it wasn't as though he could just tell him to fuck right off.

So Vitya lifted Yuri easily into his arms. Yuri had half expected to be tossed over the man's shoulder, like a sack of potatoes, to be hauled off to wherever they were going. Instead, Yuri was seated like a child being lovingly carried to bed. 

"Put your arms around my neck, it'll be safer. I don't want to drop you or hurt your baby." 

Scowling with frustration at not being able to talk back, Yuri did as he was told and put his looped arms behind the alpha's head. What was even more frustrating, was that he did feel safer.

Vitya carried him up the stairs, where the marble at the top gave way to a plush carpet that muffled his footsteps. They had left the other alpha below, who had been fiddling with the collar that Yuri swore he wouldn't wear for very long, if at all. Yuri had been right in his first assumption that the house they were in was huge, but the upstairs was decidedly more… homey.

Loving photographs of the two alpha were framed and hung everywhere, or were littering the side tables that lined the hall. They passed by open doors that led into cozy studies or offices, and at one point, Yuri was sure he'd seen a baby gate blocking the entrance into one of them. When his carrier skipped over something, Yuri looked down to see some dog toys littering the hall and frowned. So there was a dog, here, too.

"Don't worry." Vitya said with a chuckle, reading how Yuri's muscles went rigged around his neck. "Our dogs are poodles. Not so much into the whole tackling and capturing people thing. We have them in Yusha's study for now. We'll give you a tour later."

Yuri wondered at that. A tour meant that they were expecting him to stay. A tour also meant that he would be able to plan his escape route. Though, he supposed that they could just show him around to be nice, to lure him into a false sense of security, and then lock him away in one of the rooms that was closed and locked forever. They certainly seemed rich enough to just keep him, to avoid any detection from the Altin's wrath as they searched for him, for they surely were.

He was carried into a lavish bathroom with a large circular tub as its centerpiece. It was bright and airy, a large window with gossamer white curtains on one side, and a curved wall that let around a corner on the other. Between them were a set of two sinks, one lined with a plethora of skin care products and the other that had just a toothbrush and toothpaste in a cup and an electric razor that hadn't been stowed away. 

There was also a cushioned chaise, and it was there that Yuri was set. He unhooked his arms from around the alpha's neck and watched as the door was shut and the water to the giant tub was turned on. The tub was deep, far deeper than any bathtub he'd ever seen. It would take forever to fill. 

The alpha seemed unconcerned with this, however, and hummed an out of tune song as he went to another door and opened it to reveal, if possible, even more care products. Yuri had no idea there was anything beyond just shampoo and soap, but it seemed the alpha knew exactly what he was looking for. An armful of an array of bottles was soon being placed on the edge of the circular bath, where steam was already starting to rise. 

"I'm afraid we don't have any neutral scented products, darling…" Vitya said to him, all traces of any anger washed away. Yuri bit his tongue, wanting to snap to not call him 'darling'. All he could do was just shrug and look away. "Do you want to see if you like any of them? I don't want you to be uncomfortable."

The alpha held out one bottle with the cap unscrewed for him to sniff. Yuri also didn't want to have any uncomfortable scents on him, but he was far too used to it to care. Though, this was the first time an alpha was giving him a choice, so he bent forward a little and instantly recoiled. The alpha chuckled.

"Okay. Not that one." he said, setting the bottle aside on the floor. He selected another one from the line, "How about this?"

That one wasn't nearly as bad, but Yuri shrugged a shoulder. Vitya just gave him a small smile. 

"You know… I'll let you choose while I get you a bathrobe and a couple towels." he laughed. Yuri sat perfectly still as Vitya rolled back to sit on his heels, looking up at him. He had no idea what to do. Should he just hit him and try to escape out the front door? It's what he wanted to do, but there was something so… open and honest about the way Vitya was looking at him. He supposed a bath couldn't hurt, and then on the tour, maybe he could make a break for it. "I'll be right back. Go ahead and choose whatever products you like. There's more in the cupboard, if you want to look at those, too." 

The alpha stood up and walked out a different door, one closer to the window, instead of the one they'd entered. Yuri was left alone. He didn't think he'd be left alone. This was the perfect opportunity, even though he had no idea where the alpha Yuuri was in the house. He could have been on his way up the stairs even as Yuri sat there trying to decide what to do. There was also no telling how long Vitya would be away, or if this was a test to see if Yuri would try to escape. He supposed it was safer to just play along for a little bit, lure them into thinking he wouldn't run, and then do it while they were asleep. There weren't many places he'd be able to hide during the day, anyway, if the evidence of Seung Gil's finding him was anything to go by. Then there was the fact that apparently people had been able to smell that he was a pregnant omega…

Yuri rubbed out the lines that were on his bare wrists from the bindings the officer had put him in and stood. His legs were a little shaky still. Probably from the moments before when Vitya had been angry with him and the scuffing right before that. He tentatively tried the water that was rushing from the big faucet. It was hot and inviting. There were tons of bottles that Vitya had left behind, so Yuri looked at them, wishing he could understand the fancy lettering that adorned each one. Some of them looked to be in sets, as they had the same coloring and letters that looked the same. He recognized a few of the letters that were in his name, but as his name wasn't very long, it wasn't many. 

He began to open and sniff them, discarding most of them to the side where the first one had been placed. Going by scent alone, he found two or three he liked. They were woodsy, like his own scent, with a bit of a gentle citrus. He liked those best. 

It was while he was searching the cupboard for other scents he liked that Yuuri walked in, the same leather case held in both hands, with a wallet placed on the top of it. He blinked in surprise to find Yuri alone in the bathroom.

"Oh! Where did Vitya go?" he asked, and Yuri just shrugged. A bottle was in his hand and he'd just been about to unscrew the cap when the door had opened. He felt rather caught out, like he'd been snooping, and he wasn't sure if Yuuri would be angry. Standing perfectly still, he watched as Yuuri set the case on the countertop between the dual sinks. "I was thinking about what made you so upset… and all I could think of was how I had told you my name."

Yuuri picked up the wallet and took out an identification card. He held it out for Yuri to take, though Yuri knew it wouldn't do any good. He wouldn't be able to read it.

Taking it anyway, he pretended to look at it. There was the picture of Yuuri, who looked surprised in the photo, like they'd not told him they were taking it. It was a terrible picture really, and didn't show how handsome the man actually was. But to his amazement, he could recognize one of the words. Sure enough, the identification showed that the alpha's name was almost the same as his own, with an extra letter he barely recognized. It seemed that their names _were_ more or less the same, just with different spellings.

He blinked in amazement, and handed the card back to Yuuri. Yuuri took it with a shy smile and tucked it back away into his wallet and put it down on the counter. Hesitating, Yuri waited until the other Yuuri was looking at him again, and pointed to himself.

"Yes? You?" Yuuri asked, his eyebrows raising in question. Yuri frowned and jabbed his thumb toward himself again, and Yuuri gave a flustered gesture of his hands in front of him. "I'm sorry, I don't know…"

Yuri groaned and took a step forward. Yuuri tensed, but stayed where he was. Yuri pointed at him, and then to himself again.

"You and me? What about you and me?" 

He gave a sharp exhale of frustration and shook his head, waving his hand to tell Yuuri to forget it, and went to put the bottle back in the cupboard. When he turned around again, Yuuri was looking at him sadly. 

"I'm sorry I didn't understand." he told him. "Can you… write it down?"

Yuri rolled his eyes and shook his head once, but over Yuuri's shoulder he noticed something. It was the mirror. Steam was billowing up from the still-filling bath, and fogging the glass. On it were remnants of drawings and what he assumed were notes written. He could recognize the hearts and little smiley faces, at least. Wrinkling his nose at the thought of these two alpha writing love notes to each other on the mirror, it did give him an idea.

Suddenly, he was walking toward the mirror and Yuuri jumped out of the way. Yuri found an empty spot, or rather, a spot that hadn't been marred by the ramblings of two idiot alpha, and began to scrawl his name in shaky, lopsided letters. 

"Yuri?" Yuuri asked and then smiled like he was being patient with a child, "My name has two 'u's' in it."

Yuri stared at him, not knowing what he was talking about. It could have been the two letter things he saw as a difference in his name versus Yuuri's, but he shook his head with a sigh. He pointed at the unpracticed scrawl on the mirror and then to himself. Finally, _finally,_ it seemed to click.

"Your name is Yuri, too?" Yuuri asked, wide eyed. Yuri couldn't help but grin and nod. "Oh! That makes so much more sense! Vitya!" he exclaimed as the other alpha walked back into the bathroom with his arms stacked high with bath towels and linen. "Omega-san's name is Yuri!"

Vitya stared between the two of them and then saw the writing, quite literally, on the wall. His face split into a wide, heart shaped, beaming smile that Yuri thought looked completely ridiculous.

"Yuriii!" he drawled out the name, letting the 'ee' go far longer than necessary. "What a lucky name! Two Yuri's under one roof. I love it! Oh, I'm Viktor, by the way, I don't think I mentioned that..."

Viktor's word's faded sheepishly and Yuuri was shaking his head with a muttered ' _So absent minded, Vitya..._ ' as he took some of the towels from his mate, plopping them on the chaise near the tub. "You brought the new towels that I'm supposed to review?"

"I figured it was a good chance to review them. They seem nice and fluffy, see?"

Yuri didn't know what they were talking about, but watched as the silver alpha playfully enveloped Yuuri in one of the towels. Yuuri squealed with laughter and tried to get away from Viktor rubbing the corner of the terry cloth on Yuuri's cheek. 

"Yes, they're very fluffy!" Yuuri cried out, squirming away and giggling. "Stop that! Now Yuri can't use that one…"

Yuri was grateful that Yuuri seemed to be aware that he wouldn't want to use a towel that now had alpha scent all over it. There wouldn't be any avoiding that entirely, as it had been an alpha who had brought them in, but at least the others looked clean. The towel he'd had at the Altin's had been ragged and not much good for anything except spreading the water around on his body, rather than wicking it away. These looked to be much better. 

The taller alpha laughed and tossed the now scented towel in the corner under the window and went to check the bottles Yuri had set aside. 

"New Yuri has excellent taste, see Yusha?" he held out one of the bottles Yuri had picked out. Yuuri looked at it and hummed his approval, kneeling next to the bath to feel the temperature of the water. The Japanese alpha frowned as he held his fingers under the running water. 

"Vitya… this is too hot for an expectant omega…" he chided gently, turning the handles presumably to a cooler, more appropriate temperature for the 'expectant omega,' "You can't use the temperature that we normally use…"

"Oh… _gomen,_ Yusha…" Viktor rubbed the back of his head apologetically after speaking a strange word that Yuri had never heard before. "I didn't think about that…"

Yuri didn't know what would be a good temperature for him, expectant or not. The baths he was used to were far too cold and usually culminated in him doing a sort of sponge bath to wash away… whatever was on him, and it was usually things he didn't like to think about, and then taking an as-quick-as-possible dunk to rinse all the soap away. He also wasn't used to product being in bottles, though he knew it existed because of his bonded alpha's shower. The servants would put a barrel tub of cold water in his small room with a bar of soap, the worn towel and washcloth that was more like a sheet than what they were supposed to be, and leave him to it. The last time he'd had a proper bath had been in Moscow, when he was living with his grandfather, before he'd presented with his first period. And that had been just a dingy, small bathroom, with pipes that, more often than not, froze in the winter cold. 

He stood there, hand protectively over the small bump on his lower abdomen, it was really just a tiny knot of distended muscle that stuck out over his thin hips, if he'd been able to eat properly, it wouldn't have been noticeable at all. He watched again as Yuuri fussed over the bath water, and Viktor fussed over the pleasantly scented bottles he'd picked. The scene was so foreign, so calm and inviting, that it made him nervous. It was like the bad day-time television his grandfather would watch between naps at the end of a long lunch hour when he sold pirozhki off his street cart. Yuri had loved watching the 'stories' with his beloved _deda_. How happy the omega on screen seemed, how kind the alpha were. He much preferred the romance stories that were on during the day, to the crime serials that were on at night, after his grandpa had gone out again to sell for the dinner and commuter crowds. Those were closer to real life, or at least, the life he had actually lived, after Nikolai Plisetsky had passed away and officials had taken him to the orphanage, and then the omega house after his first period presented him as 'omega'. 

The bath water was foaming now, and full of bubbles after Viktor had poured in a generous portion of liquid. The wood and citrus scent he'd chosen suddenly filled the room, and the bath was still steaming, though not nearly as much as before Yuuri had adjusted it. So far, these alpha were being kind. And far too trusting. Each of them had their backs to him as they bustled around, working in unison. Yuuri had just washed his hands and wrists in the sink next to Yuri and was now folding each of the towels carefully, putting them in a container that looked like a small oven. Yuri looked at him, curiosity getting the better of him, and tilted his head to the side. He tapped Yuuri on the shoulder and pointed at the container.

"It's a towel warmer." Yuuri smiled up at him. "We like the feeling of warm towels after a good bath. We take baths very seriously here." 

Yuri hadn't known baths even _could_ be taken seriously, but he was finding evidence to the contrary in how both of them took such a long time in getting everything ready. It was rather awkward, standing there, just watching. Neither of the other two seemed to mind. 

Behind him and Yuuri, Viktor had turned off the faucet, declaring, with a sort of triumph, that the bath was ready, and Yuri's stomach flipped in place. Both of them didn't look as though they were going to be joining him in the tub, so he supposed that was a good thing. Though it was rather exposing to be surrendering his clothes. What if he didn't get them back? What if they were the types of alpha that would keep him completely naked, save for a collar, all the time, ready for their use at any given moment?

"Vitya, did you find him something to wear?" Yuuri answered that question without him even having to speak. Yuri was sure he hadn't released any concerned pheromones. He was rather good at masking what he was feeling. 

"Not yet. I wasn't sure what to give him. All our clothes will smell like us, and we haven't had time to stock up on anything else..." Viktor trailed off uncertainly, looking toward Yuri. In his gaze was a question if their own clothes would be alright for him to wear. They, most certainly, would not be alright. Yuri only stared back at him in a glare. "I can pop over to the store? Get something new?"

Yuuri hummed thoughtfully, standing up from putting the towels in the 'towel warmer' contraption. "I suppose that would be best… Yuri, your clothes now are too dirty to just put back on after you get cleaned up. You'll just have to be in a robe until Vitya gets back. Or you can hang out in a robe until your clothes are washed and dried, but that would take a couple hours."

Yuri wasn't sure how to communicate, given that he was being offered _another_ choice. Normally, he was just told what to do, and he'd have to do it or suffer the consequences. Sometimes, the beatings had been worth disobeying, but most of the time, he'd just complied with gritted teeth and fire in his belly. He settled on pointing at Viktor and then pointing toward the door. Both of them laughed good naturedly.

"I'll be fast." Viktor assured them both, stepping close to Yuuri and placing a loving palm against the alpha's cheek, who nuzzled into the touch. "Are you sure, though? Will you be alright?" 

"We'll be fine. Go." Yuuri pecked a kiss on Viktor's wrist and pushed him toward the door insistently. 

"No hitting, biting, or kicking, Yuri." Viktor warned, half-jokingly with a deadly serious undertone, "Or head-butting or injuries to my Yusha of any kind."

"For the gods' sake, Vitya. Go!" Yuuri opened the door and shoved Viktor violently out of it before shutting it firmly behind the concerned alpha. He turned to Yuri with a smile. "Go ahead and get in. I won't look."

Yuri still hesitated for a moment, but began to lift his shirt. True to his word, Yuuri hummed, on tune, the same song Viktor had been humming earlier, and busied himself with putting away all the bottles his mate had pulled out of the closet. Yuri quickly tore off all his clothes and jumped into the bath, not bothering to test out the temperature before he got in. He didn't know what he was expecting, but this… this was nice. The bubbles covered any of his lower half, and the water line was nearly up to his shoulders. The water was so warm and _comforting._ Maybe he should take baths seriously, too, he thought before he could stop himself. Then, harshly, reminded himself that he could enjoy this while it lasted, but that it would be short lived. 

When they went to sleep, he decided, if he could, he'd escape. But he didn't know what came after that. Maybe he could steal some money and buy some scent blockers. That would give him time to figure something out.

Yuuri closed the closet door, everything set back to rights, and glanced over his shoulder. Smiling, he handed Yuri a new washcloth, who took it more gently than he normally would have. The smell of the bubbles was really relaxing. He promptly began to scrub his arms with it, but paused when Yuuri sat on the far end of the tub, looking at his face. 

_Are you just going to watch me, sick alpha bastard?_ Yuri wondered, but Yuuri smiled at him. 

"I'd like to talk to you for a moment, if it's okay, before I go put your clothes in the wash." he said. Yuri stared for a second and then slowly nodded. It was odd for Yuuri to even ask permission, as Yuri was technically his captive, but he'd take whatever choices they would give him. "Thank you. I wanted to talk to you about that collar, and what we'd like to offer you."

Yuri halted his movements, staring at a particularly big bubble in the water. He did nothing else, however, and Yuuri seemed to take that as permission to keep speaking.

"We won't put the collar on you, if you really don't want it. It's for your protection. We can offer you a place to stay, your own room, as much food as you want, as well as education or the ability to pursue any hobbies you might like… really, anything you want. We'd also make sure you have the best medical care for you and your baby. In return, you would wear the collar, so that no one would hurt you or be able to claim you when you go out. It's bio-encrypted. With my thumbprint, to be exact. Only I would be able to remove it. We can program it so that Vitya can remove it too, but right now, it's set up for only me."

The bubble he was staring at popped, and Yuri blinked slowly, still not moving as he mulled these options over in his head. It was nice that the collar wasn't mandatory, that they wouldn't force it on him… so they said. His own room? Education? And what was this about him being able to 'go out', so long as he had the collar on? Would he really be as free as what Yuuri was describing?

"Seung Gil didn't know this, before he brought you here…" Yuuri continued slowly, "But Vitya and I have talked about… adding to our pack, and not with children… Do you understand what I mean?"

Oh, yes. There it was. Of course Yuri understood. The two alpha were looking for an omega to share their bed. It was likely they weren't able to satisfy each other during their ruts or something. Or they just wanted to know what it was like to be with an omega in heat. Yuri definitely needed to get out of there, no matter how nice the bath was. Yuri had heard of packs like this, though he hadn't heard of two alpha initiating it. Normally, it was a single alpha with a whole harem of omega, and maybe a few beta, that served only them, waited on them hand and foot. Some of them, he supposed, were treated well, but the ones he'd heard of, the harems he'd be threatened with, were the kind that treated the lesser members of the pack as slaves. They were forcibly bonded and raped repeatedly, sometimes drugged up until they didn't know their own names. 

"Of course, we wouldn't ask you to give up your baby or anything, when the time came! We would welcome them!" Yuuri hurried to add, "Or, if you do want to… we'd make sure your baby had the best adoptive parents we could find… whatever you want… and we don't want to force you to do anything. Or… or if there's other options you might want, we have access to the best doctors that go against the laws of abortion. We know that it might not work out… but we'd like to see if you'd like to… date us for a while… see if the three of us would be a good match as a pack. If we're not, no harm done, and you could either stay here as just a sort of… roommate, or we can set you up to live independently…"

 _What?_ Yuri finally broke his staring contest, that he was definitely winning, with the popping bubbles and looked up at Yuuri, confused. He was asking if Yuri wanted to _date_ them? It wasn't an instant bonding? And what in the world was he talking about, 'abortion'? Everyone knew that was illegal, and omega that were caught doing it were thrown in prison or worse. Adoption? Was that even an option? How could he know that his baby would be safe?

"Sorry… this is probably not a good way to talk about this." Yuuri blushed and looked down at his hands, twisting them nervously in his lap. "But if you don't want any of that, we can send you to a protected omega refuge. The ones here in St. Petersburg have too many horror stories that come out of them, but we have a friend from Switzerland who says the ones there are really nice. They protect omega that aren't mated, or are, but are escaping a bad situation, which… is what I'm assuming happened to you. They do the same sort of thing I just described, education, meals, sometimes vocational or job training, and enable omega to be able to live completely on their own, on their own terms. Or… it doesn't have to be Switzerland, maybe Germany, or Norway, or maybe the States? Japan has some good ones too, but they don't normally take foreign omega… But I could make some calls, and I'm sure I could set something up for you."

Yuri's head was swimming, and it wasn't from the heat of the water. Either way, what Yuuri was describing was lots of choices that he'd never even dreamed of having. He could move away from Russia entirely, could start over somewhere, if Yuuri was telling the truth about the omega centers in other countries. He didn't even register he was moving until he actually was, sliding along the bottom of the tub until he was kneeling in front of Yuuri. At a loss as to what to do next, or what he'd even meant himself by moving closer to the alpha, he paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. Yuuri looked down at him, and Yuri could tell he was trying to mask the nervousness in his scent, and was doing rather badly at it. Finally, he reached up and took Yuuri's hand in his own suds covered one, and squeezed. 

"I hope that means you'll think about it?" Yuuri asked, squeezing his hand back. Yuri pulled back and nodded, not looking up at the hopeful alpha. Yes, he definitely would think about it. What was most frustrating was that he couldn't ask any of the questions he wanted to, couldn't write them down, couldn't sign them with his hands like deaf people did, couldn't do _anything_ to further communicate but just sit there sullenly. But Yuuri didn't seem to mind that obstacle, "Thank you, Yuri…" he said reverently. "I don't know how you've come to be here, but I _am_ glad you're here. You seem very kind."

Yuri snorted. He didn't know who would ever call him kind, especially after getting kicked and snarled at. Both of the alpha seemed off their heads, completely insane, but… they, too, had also been very kind so far, save for that one angry moment. Yuri knew he'd deserved that one, and resolved to not do anything like that again, for now, unless he needed to. 

Escape, it seemed, would not be necessary. Unless Yuuri was lying through his teeth. For now, Yuri would watch, and he would think. It was all he could do, after all.

But suddenly, he had an idea. He'd heard of other alpha being able to break through alpha commands. Granted, there had never been stories told of another alpha being able to break a command from an omega's _bonded_ alpha, but he didn't know unless he asked. 

Yuuri looked like he was about to stand up, to let Yuri finish his bath in peace while he washed his clothes, but Yuri's hand shot out of the water and tugged on his dangling sleeve before he could move.

"Hm?" Yuuri asked, looking back at him, eyebrows raised again. Yuri wavered, but then moved his scraggly, long blond hair off his neck and turned to show Yuuri his bond mark. It was ugly, he knew, and that was confirmed further by how Yuuri gasped as he saw it. Miras Altin had torn his teeth through Yuri's skin as Yuri had struggled valiantly, but in vain. If he hadn't struggled, it likely wouldn't have scarred as badly as it did, but Miras also hadn't even offered any care for the wound afterward. Yuri wasn't sure he'd have let him, anyway, but at one point, it had become infected and he'd needed a shot of medicine to heal the pus-filled, fevered bite. 

But that wasn't what he was trying to tell Yuuri, he wasn't trying to tell him that he was bonded. Everyone could smell he was bonded. He turned back to him and pointed at his bond mark, then pointed at the center of his Adam's apple, and opened his mouth, then closed it again. More than that, he didn't know how to show that his muted appearance was the result of his bonded alpha commanding him silent. Rendering him like a speechless animal, who could only communicate with whimpers, snarls and growling. 

"Your…" Yuuri's eyes widened, horror striking his handsome face, "Your alpha _Commanded_ you to not talk?"

Yuri breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, glad that Yuuri wasn't completely stupid. Without warning, hands framed his face, and Yuuri brought his forehead down to touch Yuri's. He didn't know what to do, his own hands covering the alpha's in shock, but he didn't pull them away. The alpha's breathing was starting to become ragged, but Yuri couldn't see why until he pulled back to look at him. Tears were brimming under the blue-rimmed glasses. 

"They were completely horrible, weren't they?" he asked softly. The tenderness of the words were like a soothing balm over a festering wound and Yuri whimpered, nodding again. Tears of his own sprung, and he pulled away and rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand before they could fall. "Oh, Yuri… I don't know if I can break it. Vitya is a much stronger alpha than I am, maybe he could? But without overwriting the bond with one of our own… I don't think we can, since it came from your bond-mate."

Nodding his understanding, though disappointed, Yuri settled back into the bath. 

"We'll try, though." Yuuri said emphatically. "I promise, we'll do everything we can to break it… Thank you for telling me."

He gave Yuuri a weak smile in thanks, and picked up the washcloth again. Yuuri, thankfully, took the hint and stood up, straightening his kimono. 

"I'll go put your clothes in the wash and come check on you in a little bit. Take your time, though. Vitya probably won't be back for a while… I should have left him here and done the shopping myself. He tends to get carried away." Yuuri shook his head fondly and picked up Yuri's clothes. Now that he was out of them, Yuri could see just how filthy they were, and was suddenly worried with the stupid notion of getting Yuuri's pretty kimono dirty with how he draped them over his arm. Yuuri seemed to remember something before he stepped out, though, and returned to the side of the bath. "Yuri, can you read?"

Scowling, Yuri shook his head, embarrassed at having to admit it. Yuuri didn't seem to judge, and simply pointed at one of the bottles that was left on the edge of the tub.

"This one is shampoo, the second one is conditioner, and this one is body wash, _ne?"_ He told him, gesturing to each one as he listed them. Yuri picked up the second one and cocked one eyebrow. He'd never used it before. Yuuri smiled and explained, "You put it in your hair after you wash it. I wash my hair first, then put a little bit of conditioner in it, and leave it to do its work while I wash my body. After that, I rinse it all off. It'll make your hair very soft and shiny, but you don't have to use it if you don't want to. If the bath gets too cold and you want to warm up, the shower is around this corner." He gestured to the curved wall that seemed to lead into a different open room. "The handles are labeled red for hot and blue for cold. There's a robe on the couch, and you can just pull the towels from the warmer whenever you want. I guarantee you'll like them warm."

He winked and waited to see if Yuri had anything else he needed. He didn't, so he just nodded. With that, Yuuri gave a small bow and left him alone in the bathroom.

Deciding to take Yuuri's advice, he picked up the shampoo and poured a generous stream of it into his palm. It had been weeks since he'd washed his hair, and it took several washes, and all the bubbles that Viktor had put in nearly gone, before he was satisfied it was clean. Though, the water was a bit gray now that he was finished, and he decided to do the rest in the shower. It certainly wasn't that he was curious about exactly what kind of shower was behind a stone corner. Not entirely.

He got out of the bath after he figured out how to unplug it to let the water drain, and picked up the remaining bath products, careful to leave the conditioner in one hand and the body wash in the other so he wouldn't get them confused, and tiptoed around the rounded corner. 

Yuuri hadn't been lying. It was a shower around there. It wasn't like any shower he'd ever seen before, though. After winding around two curves, Yuri found himself in a rounded room, with a drain in the middle and a circle in the middle of the ceiling. He figured that was where the water came out, but there were other knobby things that stuck out of the wall that looked like water could come from them too, and each were aimed at the center of the little room. There was also a bench, with a bar of light and another metal bar under it. Next to the handles to turn on the water was a panel with other buttons. It was definitely the most complicated shower he'd ever seen. 

He put the bottles on the bench, remembering which one was which, and turned to face the panel and the handles. Perhaps he should have just stayed in the bath, drained it and filled it with clean water, but he was far too intrigued to not at least try to figure this out. He turned the hot handle on and water began to fall like rain from the circle in the ceiling. He extended his hand into the stream. That was too hot, so he turned on the cold, too, until it was a temperature he liked. It was hotter than the bath, and he shrugged off Yuuri's warning about things being too hot for an expectant omega. He was pregnant, not broken, and he was tired of being cold while washing. 

Before tackling any of the other buttons, though, he put a glob of the conditioner stuff in his hair and washed off the rest of his body. The problem with the conditioner, though, was he couldn't really tell if it was completely rinsed out at first. Yuuri had been right about how it made his hair softer, but he wondered if he'd used too much of the stuff. After he was satisfied he was clean, he looked at the panel again. There were words on it, which of course made no sense, and so he just pushed the first button. The rain was still falling in the middle of the room, but now another shower head turned on from the side of the wall, its pressure harder. The next few buttons did the same, and there were now several streams of water all aimed at the center of the room. Yuri was slightly impressed, and then tried the final button. 

Above the bench, a row of water started to fall down on it, and Yuri had to wonder how rich these alpha had to be in order to have a fucking waterfall in their shower. 


	3. Chapter 3

A good time later, Yuri heard the door to the bathroom open and a tentative "Yuri?" called out into it. He'd been enjoying practically drowning himself while sitting on the bench and was unsure if he'd be allowed to enjoy that feature. Scrambling, he turned off the water's stream, grateful that just turning the handles to 'off' stopped all of it, and then poked his head around the round corner. 

Yuuri was there with a bag in his hand and a look of relief on his face.

"Oh, good. I was worried you'd fallen asleep in the shower, or fainted or something." 

Yuri scowled at the insinuation that he could faint, but he just shrugged the one bare shoulder that was poking out of the shower along with his head. Yuuri fetched a warm towel from the warmer and, oh, Yuri definitely could get used to that. It felt like the linen his _deda_ would let dry in the hot summer sun and then wrap him in it before they'd take it in to fold. He wrapped it around his stomach and stepped out to put on the robe as Yuuri busied himself at the counter, laying out whatever it was he'd brought in. The collar was no longer there. When the alpha turned around again, he started to laugh.

"You used the waterfall, didn't you?" he grinned, and Yuri could see in the mirror over the man's shoulder how his hair was in a complete disarray, flattened and pushed from the back to the fore of his face. Yuri had the good sense to look a bit sheepish, but the other man didn't seem to care about the fact he'd taken advantage of a very lavish feature of their bathroom. "I brought you a travel kit. We get samples shipped to us, and this one seemed to be the best. It has a comb, a brush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, mouthwash and a few other things. It'll do until we can get you some proper personal care items… though, that must be what Vitya is doing, because I swear it doesn't take this long to just get an outfit or two…"

Walking over to the counter, Yuri examined the contents of what was laid out. All of it was pretty easy to recognize based on the shape of each container. He wanted to ask why they received samples of what looked to be hotel amenities when he saw a flash of blue on the towel he'd just used to dry himself. Upon examination, it was a blue embroidered bear's head with a seashell behind it: The logo of the mega-hotel chain Yu~Topia. He'd seen their commercials on television when he'd been able to watch, and there were whispers about the chain in the omega houses. They were known as 'safe centers' for omega, but Yuri hadn't believed it one bit. He'd always figured the hotels were a front for those that would funnel omega into the houses and auctions, and there was no reason to think otherwise. Yuri looked again at the containers on the countertop and saw the same logo printed or painted on them. Holding up the towel with the embroidery displayed, he tapped the edge of it, looking at Yuuri expectantly, frowning.

"Hm, the logo?" Yuri nodded and raised his eyebrow in question. He hoped that Yuuri understood. " Oh um… Yu~Topia is kind of… my company."

Yuri stared. 

"Well, not 'kind of'. It is. I am the President of Yu~Topia Resorts. My sister is the CEO." he continued to explain. "She handles the bigger side of things and I like to… handle the details. I work directly with our branding and merchandising and… well, it's boring and technical, but I get sent samples to review, even though it's not my actual job to do that. I just like paying attention to what would make the guests at Yu~Topia most comfortable, so Vitya and I try out the products at home. It's why we had those brand new towels and the robe on hand for you."

Yuri's next question would have been if they regularly did this with struggling omega, if the rumors were true, and if they had given the same offers that he'd been extended while in the bath. Why they wanted to 'date' him. How they could possibly know that within the first ten minutes of knowing Yuri, or if any young omega would do. As it was, he just stood there looking impressed in spite of himself. 

If he wasn't the first, he couldn't imagine why any other, perhaps less discerning, omega wouldn't leap at the chance to become a pack mate of someone as accomplished as Yuuri, and that the police _knew_ Viktor by name was an accomplishment in and of itself, but his name had carried weight. But if he was the first, he wondered why it was him, of all people. He was scrawny, and foul tempered, as he'd already shown. What Yuuri didn't know was that he also had a spiteful mouth on him, when he could speak, and that no end of sass would come streaming from his tongue if he were given the opportunity. He wasn't the quiet, demure, obedient omega, like most alpha would want. Quite the opposite, in fact. His bonded alpha had spent years trying to beat it out of him. 

"I haven't tried them, yet… so I hope they're okay?" Yuuri asked tentatively. Yuri nodded, still processing all the information he'd gleaned in the last couple hours. The alpha looked relieved that Yuri approved of the linen, and glanced at the comb. "I'll leave you to finish up. If you want a hair dryer, it's under that sink. Vitya is pretty particular about his hair… and skin… and clothes… pretty much anything to do with his appearance. He's been that way since I met him. I'll be in the next room over if you need anything, alright?"

Nodding again that he understood, Yuri reached for the comb to try and tame his unruly hair. It took forever, but he was able to beat it into submission, so that it framed his face. The shorter wisps fell over his eye, but that was alright. At least it was all clean. He looked over the rest of the supplies Yuuri had given him and made use of the toothbrush and deodorant and then followed the alpha's footsteps to the next room. 

He flinched as he stepped in and quickly found that the source was the gigantic bed in the center of it. It reeked of both alpha and he started to panic. Yuuri was there, still in his kimono and fully dressed, sitting at a small table and reading over some papers. He looked up just in time for Yuri to flee into the bathroom and then toward the door that led to the hall.

Of course it was too good to be true. Yuuri had been too nice for an alpha that had literally _just_ picked up an omega on the streets. Luring him into their bedroom, of course, _of course_. Had Viktor even gone shopping? Was he lurking somewhere in that bedroom, both of them waiting to pounce and drag him into their bed? 

He yanked the door open, fully intending to leave, clothes, blockers, pregnant, bonded or not, and rushed into the hall. Rounding the corner, he smacked right into a firm chest and almost toppled to the floor. It was Yuuri and he couldn't help but hiss as the alpha held onto his shoulders to steady him. Yuuri held firm for a second.

"Yuri! What's wrong?!" The alpha asked urgently. Yuri fought to dart around him, but it just made Yuuri grab onto his waist and hold him close, Yuri's back to his chest and pheromones flooding the space. He struggled against the arms holding him, against the scent that would make him pliant, holding his breath, but the scent was already in his lungs, making the panic dull into the background. "I'm sorry… I’m sorry… I know I shouldn't…"

He didn't understand. This whole thing was bullshit. Yuuri just kept holding him still, and Yuri gasped and his mouth flooded with the calming scent. Whimpering against it, he gave one last valiant lunge forward and collapsed in the alpha's grasp. 

"I’m so sorry… I'm sorry Yuri… I just don't want you to get hurt…" Yuuri was mumbling against his hair, his grip shifting to hold Yuri up and steady. "That was so stupid… I shouldn't have told you to come into our bedroom. I'm sorry for scaring you, I just didn't think…"

Slowly, the words were starting to register. The pheromones stopped being pushed out, but still lingered in the air. He stiffened as he regained control over his own head, hating Yuuri for manipulating his emotions like that, but the panic was all but gone now. 

"I promise we won't force you… we won't do anything to hurt you…" Yuuri continued softly. "I just… I'm so stupid. I’m sorry." 

Yuri growled low, no longer struggling, but he took a step forward and Yuuri released him. Turning, he saw the alpha was crying. Tears streamed down his face, his hands spread out before him with his head bowed. He wasn't looking up. 

"I… I can take you to your room, if you want…" he said softly, timid and sounding lost. "Viktor texted and said he was on his way back, so we'll have clothes for you… you can wait there or… or in the bathroom or… or in the kitchen? Maybe? Whatever you want, Yuri. I won't scent you again… so, please don't run, okay?" he finally looked up and Yuri gasped at the pain that was clear on his face, "It's so dangerous here for omega. If you leave… they'll hurt you, and… I wish that wasn't the case. I really, really do… but I don't blame you for not trusting us…"

Yuri stared. He found himself wanting to reach out to… what? Pat the alpha on the shoulder? Hug him? Make him stop crying and sniveling like a little child? But he'd never seen an alpha so meek, so… pathetic. If Yuuri was lying, he was a hell of a good actor, and this ridiculous charade was the dumbest thing he'd ever seen. Instead of doing anything, though, he just folded his arms in on himself, looking to the carpet. 

"Um… do… do you want to see your room? It has a lock, if that will make you feel safer." 

Rolling his eyes, Yuri nodded. Even if it had a lock, it didn't mean that Yuuri or Viktor didn't have the key. Yuuri hesitated, looking him over to see if he was going to run again, and then started walking down the hall. The room was only a couple doors down, and Yuuri paused in front of it. 

"This… this lock is made to be anti-alpha." He said quietly, pointing at a panel on the door. "We debated forever about installing it, because… what if something happened in there and we needed to get to the omega inside? But um… we felt it was better to give omega their privacy if they wanted it, so…"

Yuuri held out his palm, and it took Yuri a second to realize that he was asking for his hand. Begrudgingly, he held his hand out and Yuuri folded his fingers gently until his thumb was the only one extended. He brought Yuri's thumb to a pad on the lock and pushed a button. Yuri nearly pulled back when the panel beeped and a blue light scanned his thumb, then flashed green. 

"Okay… so, once there's a thumbprint registered, it can only be opened from the inside or with your thumbprint." Yuuri reached over to the door and pushed it open and then closed it again. The panel light turned red. Yuuri tried the door and it was locked, the handle barely moving. He put his own thumb over the scanner, and the speaker squawked and flashed red again. "You try it now."

Yuri blinked and put his thumb where it had just been scanned, and the panel chimed pleasantly and turned green. He could hear the latch disengage. 

"The only way we could get in is if we break down the door. The room is scent blocked, too, so it'll just be your scent in there." 

Yuri tried the door and it opened. Inside was a large room with a four-poster bed, a vanity desk with a plush highbacked chair, a large armoire and a door. He tentatively stepped inside and Yuuri stayed where he was, just watching. Moving through the room, he couldn't smell… anything. There were no scents in the room, except for what was wafting from Yuuri standing in the doorway. That would dissipate soon enough, he saw, based on the scent neutralizing candles that were on the desk, a box of matches next to them. The door inside the room led into a small, but functional bathroom. It had a tub, a shower head, toilet and sinks with lots of towels stacked up, and what he now knew was a towel warmer under them. 

Investigating the armoire next, he was surprised to find it already full of unused nesting kits. The bed was large, and the duvet looked soft, comforting, and there were So. Many. Pillows. The space seemed safe enough, for now, and Yuri looked toward the entrance where Yuuri was still shifting nervously. He wrinkled his nose at the scent, and then lit one of the candles. 

"I'll… I'll just go wait for Vitya, then. I'll have him come by with your new clothes when he gets here." 

Yuri stepped forward and shut the door. 

**αΩα**

He didn't know how long it was, but it seemed a good while later that there was a knock on the door. Yuri had made use of the pillows on the bed, curling up on them in a sort of frame around his body and stared at the door, waiting for one of the alpha to try and get in. The knock made him jump, but he didn't move to answer it. 

"Yuri, I have your clothes." That was Viktor's voice, he assumed. It wasn't accented and wasn't as gentle. There was no way to tell if the shadow of his feet were under the door, as everything _did_ seem like it was scent blocked, and the normal gap was filled in. Still, Yuri waited. He couldn't hear any movement outside, and he didn't move himself. After another moment, Viktor spoke again, "If you can hear me, Yuri, I'll just leave the clothes here by the door. I'll bring up lunch in a couple hours. Yusha is making _okroshka_ , and he is a fabulous cook. I think you'll like it!" 

Yuri crept out of the bed, tiptoeing over to the door. He pressed his ear against it and could barely hear footsteps that sounded like they were moving away. Even so, he waited, and listened as intently as he could for any other sounds. There was a distant bark and a laugh, but it seemed like it was nowhere near his door. 

He tried the handle, and the door popped easily open. The panel for the lock was blinking red, slowly, and Yuri tried the handle on the opposite side. It had barely any give, and he knew Yuuri had been telling the truth about it being locked. At his feet there were several large bags, stuffed full of what looked like clothes and another that was full of what looked like the same soaps and shampoo he'd used in the bath. There was a laugh from far down the hall, another bark, and Yuri snatched all the bags and hauled them inside, kicking the door shut behind him. 

Unceremoniously, he dumped everything onto the floor by the bed and sat down to take stock. If Viktor had bought all this in one shopping trip, it was no wonder it had taken him so long. All of the clothes were in plastic covers to protect them from scents. Some were brightly colored, others dark, and still more were patterned. He tore off the plastic from a leopard print shirt first, and was delighted that the material was soft. It surrounded his fingers like water and he pulled off the top of his robe to try it on. 

Rummaging through the thicker packages, he found some pants and a _lot_ of different kinds of underwear. They varied from solid boxer shorts to lacy delicate patterns for a more effeminate look. It seemed Viktor had just bought a little of everything, like he was trying to match what Yuri might want. The gesture left him smiling in spite of himself, and he hurried to put on the rest of his outfit. It all seemed to fit pretty well, and he wondered at Viktor's ability to size him up so easily. 

He went into the bathroom to look in the full sized mirror that hung there, and he took a turn. The pants fit tight, but the effect wasn't unpleasant. The support of them being like a second skin was comforting, but he liked that the shirt was a little loose and hid how boney he'd become. There wasn't much time or space in his world for preening or presenting, not the way his instincts told him to, but he rather enjoyed this having time alone to explore thing. 

There were several more outfits he tried on. Some of it wasn't to his liking, but most of it was really, really good. He piled up all the clothes he liked on the bed and spread them around. Without even noticing he was doing it, he dove into the armoire and pulled out the nesting kits that were darkly colored so his clothes would be the brightest. 

It wasn't until he was halfway through building a nest that he realized he was doing it, that it was an automatic response with instinct guiding his hand. Forcing himself to stop, he stared at the unfinished walls. He'd only ever nested once before, and that was in the house of his third owner. While he spent his nights in her bed, her den, with her arms around him like a mother, she had given him space of his own to build one. He hadn't understood the notion or the instinct at the time, and when he'd asked, she just smiled proudly at him.

"It's because you feel safe. Omega don't nest unless they feel they're in a secure place. I'm glad you feel safe here, _malysh_."

The realization was startling, to say the least. He had no idea _how_ or _why_ he felt safe enough to nest. He certainly hadn't felt it at the Altin's house, despite their best efforts to make him a nest in a perverted sense of 'taking care' of their omega. The other omega had given in, had made nests there just because it was what they were expected to do, but he'd heard them complain about how sour their scents were while making them and that it was more stressful than it was comforting. Tentatively, he sniffed the clothes he'd been scenting as he'd tucked them in between pillows and blankets. 

They weren't sour, or bitter, or frightened or anything. They smelled… hopeful. 

He tore the whole thing apart immediately.

**αΩα**

Yuri allowed himself exactly one blanket to hide under, and a pillow. Nestled under the blanket and holding the pillow to his chest, he stared at the door. Viktor had come by, again, knocking softly and telling him that there was food outside for him and that he hoped he liked the clothes. At the mention of a meal, Yuri's stomach had rumbled loudly and he'd clutched his sides to muffle it, though he didn't think the sound would travel through walls or wooden barriers. 

"Yusha also wanted me to tell you that he's very sorry for giving you such a scare earlier." Viktor's voice was hollow through the door. Yuri wanted to snarl that the alpha could tell him in person, but settled for sticking his tongue out at him instead, even if Viktor or Yuuri couldn't see it. "I'll come back for dinner in a few hours. Just leave your lunch dishes outside the door and any clothes you didn't like and we'll clean it up." 

The lunch was still outside. A protesting rumble behind the pillow in his lap reminded him that he'd not had much to eat in the last few weeks, and that the few bites of pastry he'd enjoyed were no longer in his stomach. Still, he just stared at the door. The clothes and dismantled nest was still scattered all around the floor, and he was fighting every instinct to pick it all up and start again. 

He was _smarter_ than this. Smarter than his instincts, smarter than his body, and smarter than what anyone else had ever given him credit for. Yuuri had made their intentions perfectly clear. They wanted him in their bed, even if it wasn't right now. Dating led to sex, especially between alpha and omega, Yuri had never known it to not. Even in the television shows his _deda_ watched, the alpha and omega stars would fall into each other's arms and start kissing and his grandfather would cover his eyes because he was 'too young' to see. Later, he filled in the gaps himself. 

It wasn't the sex, though, that scared him most. It was that he was considering it. That he was nesting and considering the offer that Yuuri had made. He didn't know what he wanted, but he was sure it couldn't be _that._ Right? How could he want that after everything he'd gone through? The education part though, that sounded like it could be okay. Maybe he could stay just long enough to learn how to read and then scamper away. He'd be able to move through the country easier, if that were the case. He'd be able to take trains, possibly be able to get on a plane and go far away from there. Or… or maybe Yuuri and Viktor would take him somewhere, like Switzerland, like they said. 

He groaned and mentally berated himself for thinking that they'd actually get him someplace safe. Alpha were not to be trusted. That was rule number one in the omega handbook. The best he could hope for was the be treated nicely, and that's exactly what Yuuri and Viktor were doing. He should take advantage of that niceness for as long as they showed it and then bolt at the first chance he got. Relying on them would be dangerous. Relying on them would mean he was dependent, which meant enslaved to whatever they deemed best for him. Already they had scented and scruffed him 'for his own good'. The choices they'd offered were shallow, at best. 

His stomach protested again and he glared down at the flat plane. As much as he hated to admit it, he wouldn't get anywhere fast without food. That he would have to rely on them for, at least for now. 

Crawling out from his obvious hiding spot, he listened at the door again for any movement. The house seemed quiet and he opened the door to peek out. The hall was empty and the food on the tray at his feet smelled good, so he picked it up and kicked the door shut again. 

Yuuri, it turned out, was indeed a good cook.

**αΩα**

It continued like that for a good, long while. Viktor would come by, say a few things through the door, leave food and take the old trays away. They'd even given Yuri back the clothes that Otabek had given him, but he'd left them outside his door. At the next meal, they were gone. Yuuri came by the room too, but not nearly as often. 

There would be things that they thought he might need. A basket for his dirty clothes, scent blockers (which Viktor told him were optional), books that were pictures in a sequential order to tell a story, more clothes, a book that had nothing but blank paper with a set of colored pencils, a coloring book, a deck of cards, a mini basketball with a basket to hook above a door, and two more books that were filled with nothing but pictures of dogs and cats doing stupid things. Yuri liked the cat one best. 

Between their visits and the gifts that he couldn't tell were just them trying to be good hosts, or _courting_ , he slept. He slept a lot. The bed was now sporting a forming nest. Yuri hadn't been able to deny himself at least a small one, but he'd finally hung up and folded all of his clothes. He also loved soaking in the bath. The tub wasn't as big as the one that was in the alpha's bathroom, but it did have small jets that helped him to relax. Viktor had also brought by 'bubble bath' and had told him to squeeze a bit into the bath as it was filling up. He'd made the mistake of turning on the jets after and the bubbles had built and built until it was halfway up to the ceiling. Yuri had about panicked and gone to get one of the alpha, but when he saw that they dissipated on their own, he decided it was fun and added bubbles to the jets more often. Though, he didn't ever let them get quite that high again. 

The view out his window looked down on the back yard, and sometimes he'd see two dogs, a big brown one and a small brown one, both with poofed curls, running around. Yuuri and Viktor would go out too, though Viktor seemed to be the one that liked to rough house with both of them more, getting down in the grass and rolling with them. Yuuri seemed content to play fetch. Once, he even saw Yuuri walk by Viktor, who had been giving the large brown one a good tummy rub, and pat his head like he was one of the dogs. Viktor promptly jumped up on Yuuri, pawing at his waist playfully until Yuuri laughed, bent over, smoothed the silver hair back and placed a kiss on a broad forehead, scritching behind Viktor's ears until the alpha's cheeks turned pink.

Idiots. Both of them.

Yuri retreated from the window after that and added a few more pillows to his nest. 

It took him longer than he expected to actually get bored enough to consider leaving the room. Yuuri had brought breakfast a while ago, and he was sure that Viktor would be bringing lunch soon. The Japanese alpha let him know that he was going to work, and therefore only Viktor would be in the house that day. It might be a good chance to explore and see what else was in the house. For escape purposes, of course. He could always come back to his room.

He put on the leopard print shirt and the tight pants he'd liked so well before and ran a brush through his hair. The least he could do is feel presentable, and he was glad to see that his body was filling out a little more with constant food and nutrition. As an afterthought, he pulled on some really comfortable socks and slippers, and then padded softly to the door. 

The tray from that morning hadn't been cleared away, yet, so he picked it up, figuring he could bring it to wherever Viktor was. The hall was empty, and even the dog toys from before had been tidied. As he passed the door that lead to the bathroom and then the next one that surely led to their bedroom, he moved his legs quicker and then rolled his eyes at his own ridiculousness. Most of the doors lining the hall were open, and he peeked into each one. 

There were two offices, one smelling more strongly like Yuuri and the other like Viktor, and then one that smelled like the both of them. That one held a lot of books. Tons of books. Yuri wondered if both of them liked to read, or if it was just one of them and they simply liked spending time together in the room. The furniture in the library looked comfortable, enough so that Yuri could imagine curling up for a nap on one of the couches. There was a fireplace with a large portrait of their dogs hanging over it. He arched his eyebrow at the portrait, suddenly having a hard time believing that anyone that worshipped their dogs like _that_ could possibly be evil, but stranger things have happened. There was another door that had a lock panel like his, and the door was shut. He tried the handle, but it didn't budge. He wasn't quite brave enough to try his thumbprint, remembering the loud squawk his gave when Yuuri tried it, but maybe one day he would, just to see if it was also an omega room like his. 

Venturing down the stairs, he tried to listen to see if he could hear where Viktor might be, and he heard a dull roaring coming from a room from behind the arch of the entryway. Following the sound wasn't too difficult, and he peered around a corner to see Viktor using a vacuum in a room with a large television, another fireplace, and far too many movies and video games on the shelves. 

He was dancing. And singing. The dancing wasn't so bad, considering his partner was a machine, but his singing was awful. 

The scene was so ridiculously domestic that Yuri couldn't help but blush with his eyes wide and mouth agape. Viktor didn't notice him, though. He was too involved in whatever song he was listening to in his earbuds. The dogs noticed him immediately and both leapt off the couch where they had been lounging and came to eagerly investigate him. Freezing momentarily, he relaxed as all they did was sniff at his pants and wag their tails. The smaller one rose to their hind legs so as to sniff a little higher on his legs, and Yuri couldn't help but be reminded of the way Viktor had done the same thing to Yuuri in the garden. His hands were still wrapped around the metal tray, so he couldn't really pet the dogs that were now circling him and wagging their tails hopefully. 

Viktor still hadn't noticed. If anything, he was getting even more into his singing and dancing. 

Smirking, Yuri stepped into the room and found a sideboard with an empty space. Raising the tray high on his chest, he slammed the whole thing down as hard as he could.

" _Vinni Pukh i_ _Pyatachok!"_ Viktor yelped, jumping and flailing his legs as he spun around. He whipped an earbud out and breathed a sigh of relief as he realized it was Yuri who had interrupted, hand on his chest. On his exhale, he was beaming that heart shaped smile as he turned off the vacuum, and the room settled into silence save for the beat that could still be heard through his earbuds. "Yuri! I'm so happy to see you, darling! How are you doing?"

Yuri rolled his eyes and turned his attention back to the dogs. They had scattered for a second at the loud clatter the tray had made, and he felt a little bad for scaring them. Not so much Viktor, but the dogs had done nothing to deserve that. Slowly, their tails started to wag as they crouched and approached him now that he was kneeling with his hand extended for them to sniff. Viktor came over too, but kept his distance as he knelt a ways from Yuri. 

"I'm glad you get to finally meet our little boys. The big one is Makkachin, and the small one is Junichan." Viktor explained with a large smile, wrapping his arms around the one he named as Makkachin. "Our Makka is a bit old at thirteen years, but Juni is only a year old, so he's basically still a puppy. He was my gift to Yuuri for our third bonding anniversary!" 

Yuri nodded to show he was listening and that he understood. Junichan was alternating between licking and gnawing on his fingers. He was pretty cute, even if Yuri preferred cats. Glancing up at the alpha, he found that Viktor had a fond smile as he watched, and he bolted his eyes back down to the puppy who was getting more insistent in his nibbles. Pulling his fingers away, he started scratching the dog behind his ears, and Makkachin came over and sat in front of him, clearly asking for the same treatment. 

"I was going to get lunch ready after I was done cleaning. Are you hungry now?" Viktor asked. Yuri bobbed his head, but didn't look up again. From the corner of his eye, he saw the alpha stand and pick up the tray from the sideboard, the displaced cutlery and plate clanging against the metal. It made Yuri feel a bit smug, but he bit his lip to keep from smiling. "You can come into the kitchen if you want. It's just around the corner." 

Junichi had grown tired of getting his ears scratched, and was now lunging against Makkachin who just took it patiently. Yuri gave the old boy an approving pat and then followed Viktor.

The kitchen was large, which wasn't any surprise. The silver alpha was washing up Yuri's dishes and then pulling prepared food out of the stainless steel refrigerator. It seemed all the appliances were modern, the woods dark and the counters light. There was a large window over the sink that let in the afternoon sun, but at night Yuri assumed the exposed, industrial style lightbulbs would cast a warm glow on everything. 

Viktor pulled out a large pan and poured oil into it, turning on the gas flame and then turned back toward the fridge. Juice was placed on a counter, in front of a stool and Viktor gestured for him to sit. 

"Make yourself comfortable, darling."

Yuri sat, but didn't know how to make himself comfortable. He pulled the glass of juice to his lips, white grape, he discovered, and took a long sip. It was refreshing on his throat. A crisp aftertaste that left him wanting more, but he decided to savor it instead. 

The silence wasn't awkward like Yuri thought it might be. Viktor simply moved around the kitchen with ease, pulling a plates from glass framed cupboards, silverware from drawers, a knife from a block so that he could prepare a salad that was more odd vegetables than leafy greens. Behind him, the oil popped and he turned down the heat before tossing a few patties of meat in. The sizzling and the scent of cooking onion and chicken made Yuri's mouth water. 

It didn't take long for the meal to come together, and soon Viktor was handing him a plate filled with _kotleti_ and sour cream with a crisp salad with carrots, cucumbers, peppers, celery, a little spinach, cherry tomatoes and grated radish. It all looked delicious, but Yuri really hadn't found much that they'd served that he didn't like. He'd even liked the dishes that seemed more Japanese than Russian, though he didn't know what they were called. The noodles were especially good.

"Let's go eat in the living room, yes? We really aren't very formal here." Viktor offered, picking up his own glass of grape juice and several napkins. Yuri followed him back to the room he'd been cleaning and stood while Viktor set his plate on the coffee table and moved the vacuum out of the way. "You can sit wherever you'd like, Yuri." 

He waited until the alpha settled into a low armchair and began eating without ceremony. The spot he chose was the side of the couch that was farthest away from Viktor, and he found he had company instantly. The dogs sat in front of them and seemed to make their eyes as big as possible. Hesitating, he looked to Viktor to know what to do.

"Nuh-uh, you two. _Kotleki_ has onions and I'm not rushing you both to the vet today. Shoo!" Viktor stood and waved his hands at the dogs, who obeyed just a little and moved back to sit where they weren't in Yuri's immediate vicinity. The other man took his seat again and waited for Yuri to start eating. He began with the salad. Usually, he finished the things he thought he wouldn't like as much first and then saved the best for last, when he could. The food he was used to wasn't always tasty, or even healthy, but he could definitely become accustomed to the food these two alpha served, even the vegetables were delicious. 

There was a click and then the television came alive with canned laughter and a sit-com. 

"You don't mind? It's okay if you do." 

Yuri shook his head and fixed his eyes on the slapstick comedy taking place on the screen, and Viktor leaned back in his chair. A long leg over one of the arms, and his plate perched precariously on his lap as he ate. It all reminded Yuri of home. How _Deda_ and he would eat together, usually in silence as the old man was always tired after working, and watch whatever channel they could filter in through their old antenna. 

He decided he liked being able to do this, even with Viktor. The dogs settled onto the rug, still glancing over hopefully, but really not expecting any handouts. Every once in a while, Viktor would chuckle, and just once, he snorted into his glass, spraying grape juice all over his face. Yuri was shocked that he didn't seem to mind or get embarrassed at all, he just wiped his face, the glass and his hands and continued laughing. Yuri liked that too. 

If he was smiling as the show ended, Viktor didn't comment on it. 

As their plates cleared and glasses drained, Viktor got up to get them refills of the juice and then settled back into his chair. His eyes were thoughtful as he looked at Yuri, and the omega braced himself for what he assumed was coming next.

"Yusha told me that he talked to you about our search for an additional pack member." Viktor began slowly. "Is it okay if we talk about it?"

Yuri shrugged one shoulder, he knew he was going to be talked at regardless if he answered or not, it might as well be about the subject he was most curious about, despite how uncomfortable it made him.

"I love my Yusha, so much, but I also know that he gets nervous with these things. He probably didn't tell you a few things about it, and I might answer some questions you might have and we don't know."

Yuri perked up and turned his head toward the alpha, not minding so much about the topic of choice any longer. If it was all true, he'd be an idiot to pass it up. He just hoped he wasn't being a naïve idiot who thought he was getting into something good that turned out to be awful.

"Did he tell you we don't care if this pack mate is an omega or not?" Viktor asked and Yuri blinked. Smiling kindly, the alpha continued, "I thought not. You must have noticed he doesn't come from Russia. It's one of the things I love best about him. He doesn't define people by their gender. You and I grew up here. We know how it's sometimes the only thing people see, and how badly behaved it makes some, yes? Yusha and I just want someone that fits well with us, and if we never find that person, then that's fine. He and I are very happy together, we simply want to expand that happiness and bring in someone else that might look for that, too."

He paused in talking and looked to the floor, chewing his lip, as though he was debating on telling Yuri the next thing on his mind.

"Part of that…" he said slowly, eyeing Yuri warily, "Is that Yusha and I fit together so well. We… well, neither of us, before we started dating, really were… drawn to other people's scents. I mean, we dated people. Me more so than Yusha, because he's so shy… but when we met, we just… I don't know how else to describe it other than us being made for each other. I didn't believe in soulmates or soul-bonds, at all, until I met him. At first, it was odd to be dating another alpha. You don't see that very often in Russia, but he was perfect, so I got over that quickly. For him, I think it was odd to be dating a Russian… we are kind of an old fashioned people, and Japan has one foot in tradition and one foot in the future, and Yusha is very Japanese."

Viktor stopped talking again, his cerulean eyes fixed on Yuri's viridian, and Yuri somehow knew they were getting to the root of what they were discussing. At least, what it was Viktor was talking about and what he was listening intently for.

"As soon as you walked in, Yusha and I were both drawn to your scent in a way that hasn't happened since we met each other." the alpha said finally, "And it's not just your pregnancy hormones. As alpha, we are naturally more protective of pregnant omega, that's true, but neither of us have ever been attracted to them, unmated or not. We can tell the difference between your scent and the scent your pregnancy gives you, or your bond, and we like your scent, a lot. We knew it at the same time, felt it over our bond, so this isn't something we just… fling at complete strangers as soon as they walk through our door. We're not desperate. We'd just like to… see where it could go, but only if you want that too. We've helped other struggling omega before, pregnant ones too, but we gave them a few good nights rest, and then sent them on their way to whatever omega refuge they wanted or wherever they wanted to go, with enough funds and resources to start over. We'll do that for you, too, of course. That offer is never off the table… but we hope you might be drawn to us the same way we're drawn to you."

Yuri fidgeted in his seat, having to tear his eyes away from Viktor's. What he was saying made more sense, illuminated better the reasons for their offer. He didn't know if he was particularly attracted to either of them, but it was true that they had disarmed him far more than what he was used to. For a moment, he imagined touching Viktor, of touching Yuuri, in the ways he'd seen them interacting since he'd been there. To his complete surprise, it didn't repulse him. In fact, it actually seemed like it could be… nice.

"So." Viktor continued, "I'd like to slightly change what Yusha offered you. One week."

Viktor's tone had suddenly turned a bit business like and Yuri's eyes shot back up to his face. 

"Just one week of living the way that we would if you were part of our pack. Instead of sleeping in your omega room, we'd have you in our room, our bed, with us." The muscles in Yuri's back stiffened, though he was still listening, "We won't touch you, or do anything to you… in fact, for the first, why don't we say, three days? The first three days, you can touch us, whether that be just a pat on the shoulder or a full on sensual experience, and we won't touch you. After the first three days, if it's still going okay, then we can start to touch you. But because you can't give us verbal consent, we'll do it by how you've touched us already. So on the fourth day, if you've touched my cheek in the first three days, Yusha and I both will take that as permission to touch yours, and if you kiss Yusha, then both of us would be able to kiss you the same way if we feel the moment calls for it. We'll go by your body language too, as best we can. If you step away, or push our hands away, we'll stop. You can also stop the seven days at any time, by just sleeping in your room instead of in our den, and we'll go about either finding you a safe place to go, or readjust our living situation to be only friends. The only reason we'd ever ask you to leave is if you tried to harm us or our dogs, and I just don't think you're the type." Viktor smiled sincerely at him and fell silent.

Yuri's mind exploded.

One week of sleeping in another alpha's bed… two alpha in bed with him. He had hated sharing a bed with the alpha that had cursed him silent. But he had also hated that alpha with the fury of an erupting volcano. Viktor and Yuuri weren't so bad, so far. Every action they'd taken toward him had been considerate, kind even. But he didn't know how he could just… jump into their bed. Even if he didn't touch them at all, and they didn't touch him, it was still so _intimate_. He would be at his most vulnerable, sleeping and unprotected. The thought terrified him as much as it excited him to think of Viktor caressing his cheek like he saw him do to Yuuri, or to have Yuuri's arms around his shoulders. 

"We do understand the importance of having your own space, though," Viktor continued as Yuri struggled to wrap his head around it all, "So during the day, you can be in your room if you want. And we'll arrange times for you to be with each of us, one on one, and then we will show you how it'll be with both of us too. You have to want both of us individually as well as a pair, if this would be to work out, yes? And I'm not asking for your answer right now, or even in the next couple of days or weeks… we'll take it slow, and if you ever want to try the seven days, just come into our room after you've gotten ready for sleep, and we can start?"

And what could Yuri do but nod? He didn’t even notice he'd done it until Viktor beamed at him. At least he didn't have to make a decision right then. He could wait, and watch, and make his choice. 

Somehow, though, he felt like he had already made it. Fear was what made him hesitate. 


	4. Chapter 4

Yuri spent the rest of the afternoon and evening in his room, mulling over what he and Viktor had talked about. Trying to look at the events of the last however many days he'd spent there logically, there were a lot of signs that he felt okay with the arrangement they had presented. He tried listing it out in his mind, deciphering between actual happenings rather than his expectations.

Fact: Yuuri and Viktor had only touched him to prevent him from putting himself in more danger, or had done it gently and after his own initiation. There was the scruffing that Viktor did to sell the needy omega effect in front of the officer, and then his help in getting him to the bathroom. Yuuri had touched his face in comfort after telling him of the Command that rendered him voiceless, and then had only prevented him from running away after that… misunderstanding about their bedroom. 

Also fact: Yuuri had seemingly inadvertently, seemingly carelessly, sent him into an alpha den. Yuri still didn't quite know how to feel about it.

Fact: The alpha gave him a room that was just his. Neither of them had even attempted to get in, hadn't asked for admittance, and had provided everything they could think of to keep him entertained and comfortable. They gave him food, really good food, and most of the time the portions were so large there was some left over. He had never once been hungry in his time spent with them, whereas before, hunger had been a near-constant companion. Miras kept his portions small so he wouldn't ever get fat, or, more likely, too strong. Already he could feel his body devouring the nutrients the alpha were giving him.

Fact: He was fucking nesting, and, as much as he hated to admit it, he liked it.

Fact: They wanted him to eventually spend his nights in their bed. 

Everything else they promised, the education, the attempts to break the bond Command, the safe haven if he decided to leave, or even stay, all that was still up in the air. Promises that could easily be broken or taken away at a second's notice. If he actually gave in, if he felt safe, secure, cared for, and if they took it all away… Fact: He would never recover. It would destroy him. 

The only thing he could do to see if that would happen, to give them the chance to even fulfill those promises, was to actually leave his little safe haven. He would have to interact with them more… It was completely on faith that he would be acting. The question he supposed he had to answer was if their actions so far warranted such tentative trust in order for more trust to possibly build.

There was really only one thing he could do. Leaving as he was, without a plan, was a more terrifying option than giving things a try. So, a little while after Yuuri had brought by breakfast and told him that Viktor would, again, be the only one there that day, he picked up his tray and went to find him. 

This time, Yuri didn't have to look very far. Viktor was in the office that smelled like him the most. He was sitting on a lounge chair, both poodles curled at his feet, sipping coffee and reading a stack of loose-leaf papers with a slight frown. Yuri was surprised to see a pair of delicate silver rimmed glasses on his nose, and was even more surprised to find it only added to his physical appeal. 

Why the hell was he so handsome?

Instead of slamming the tray, though, he just adjusted it to one arm and rapped twice on the open door to announce himself. Viktor looked up and set his papers on the side table next to the chair.

"Good morning, Yuri!" He grinned and kicked his legs over the dogs' heads, who were both looking at him with tails thumping against the cushions. "Come in and sit, if you'd like." 

Yuri accepted the invitation and looked around as he moved forward. The office was bright and cheery, with royal blue paneled walls with a baby blue damask pattern and white shelves. The light fixtures were all gold and ornate, and the floors were a pale hardwood with a sprawling, dark floral pattern inlaid. It was all very Russian, and so completely like the alpha as Yuri knew him. 

Viktor stood and took the breakfast tray from him, putting it on the rosy cherry-wood desk so that Yuri could sit on the sky blue couch, and immediately was accosted by over eager dogs. The alpha picked up the papers he had been reading and came to sit next to him, a full cushion away. He removed his glasses and tucked them into the pocket of his tracksuit trousers. 

"I wanted to show you what I was just reading, if that's okay? It's about you, so I think you have a right to know." 

Yuri paled and clenched his fists on his knees, expecting that it had something to do with his bonded alpha. The look on Viktor's face all but confirmed it, his mouth flat in a straight line and his cerulean eyes sympathetic and discerning. Yuri nodded, figuring it'd be better to know whatever it was, but ready to bolt back to his room.

"Miras Altin has put out a notice of his missing omega. And I say 'his' loosely, because I don't think you belong to anyone." Viktor held out the papers for Yuri to see, and his own face was on the top page. The print below it showed his name, the omega symbol and then a bunch of numbers, but Yuri really didn't know what any of it meant. "It says here that your name is Yuri Altin, you're nineteen years old, and you're pregnant, so it's dangerous for you to be away from your alpha, and that he's offering a reward of a million rubles for your safe return."

Shifting in his seat, Yuri got ready to run, but Viktor was shaking his head in disbelief at the paper.

"It's clear he's full of shit, at least to me." He said casually, tossing the papers onto the cushion between them. "I know of him, though I've never met him. He is from Kazakhstan and has a home far to the north where he struck oil to pad his already sizable fortune. I think my parents met him at a few events, and they both said he was foul. He has several omega that he keeps, isn't that right?"

Yuri nodded and looked down at his picture. It wasn't the same face he saw in the mirror earlier. His cheeks were fuller, his eyes were brighter, and his hair was a bit longer and shinier now. 

"What this means is that we will have to be very careful if we go out with you. We'll have to have you wear sunglasses, maybe a hat, and a collar stating that you belong here would be an absolute must in case we get separated for any reason. I'll arrange for some different identification to be made for you too, just in case. I'll get you a phone so you can contact Yusha or me at any time, which means we'll also have to make sure you know a few things about texting, since you can't call." Viktor seemed to be mostly talking to himself, brainstorming out loud. Still, it was comforting to hear all his ideas about keeping Yuri safe, even though he had no intention of stepping foot outside the house, especially with a notice circulating with his identity and where he would have to be returned if found. "I swear, if I ever meet Miras Altin, I will rip his throat out…"

The omega stared as the alpha mumbled mostly to himself, his scent growing aggressive as he spoke. It wasn't frightening, though. If anything, it made Yuri feel a bit better to know that Viktor appeared to be on his side. The idea that 'his' alpha would no longer be able to talk after encountering Viktor was very violent, but it seemed to be a fitting punishment. But he had to wonder, and so he asked. 

Yuri tapped the paper where he recognized the large number as the prize for returning him to Miras. Viktor looked at where he was pointing and then his eyes widened as Yuri directed his finger at him.

"Of course not!" Viktor spluttered indignantly, sitting up straighter and turning so he was facing Yuri, his scent turned earnest and desperate. "Yuri, I will do everything, _everything_ I can to keep you safe from him. I don't blame you for questioning it, but… hopefully time will show you how much I mean it."

Yuri slumped back into the couch in feigned nonchalance, showing that he wasn't intending on running back to his room, and Junichan promptly crawled into his lap. It was the best he could offer to show that he was going to take the alpha at his word, for now. Viktor relaxed at that, and his mouth quirked up. 

"But enough about that… I was hoping I'd see you again today. I was wondering if you would be interested in starting to learn sign language, so we can communicate better. Yusha and I have already started learning, but it doesn't do much good if you don't know it too… But I'm also ready to teach you how to read and write, if you're interested. I taught Yusha how to speak and write Russian, so teaching someone who already knows the language will probably be easier." 

Viktor had stood and rounded his desk to a set of drawers, extracting books and notebooks and a stack of cards. He placed all of it on the coffee table and invited Yuri to take a look. There were several that had cover images of people making shapes with their hands, and others that had Cyrillic in oversized font and cartoonish animals surrounding them. He flipped through the notebooks, finding them all blank. Reading was what he wanted to learn above all else, what he thought would be the biggest help to him, so he pointed at the ridiculous cartoons. 

"You want to start with reading and writing?"

Yuri nodded and Viktor picked up the cards. After showing him which letter was which, and how to write them, Viktor would quiz him several at a time, calling the names of letters and then Yuri writing them as best he could in one of the notebooks. It took a few hours, but Yuri was pleased to find he was able to remember a lot of them. Viktor then declared it was time for lunch and they moved everything to the kitchen. 

They continued the quiz as Viktor prepared a quick meal of rice and _pelmeni_ that were leftover from dinner. Their work was spread out on the table and Yuri was taught how to write _Viktor, Yuuri, Nikiforov, Katsuki, Junichan,_ and _Makkachin._ As he practiced writing the letters correctly, Viktor slipped into the living area and brought back a family photo album and proceded to teach him further names to match the faces. _Yakov, Lilia, Feltsman, Baranovskaya,_ and then _Hiroko, Toshiya, Minako, Okukawa,_ and _Mari._

"Yusha's family are lovely people. You'd like them."

Yuri couldn't help but snort at that assumption. There weren't many people he'd ever liked, let alone would call 'lovely'.

"Oh Yuri…" Viktor sighed with a sad smile, leaning his head on his loosely curled fingers. "You have seen the absolute worst side of humanity, the worst people. One thing that might be difficult to believe is that there are so many more good than bad humans. Yusha and I can show you the good side of things. We want to. We've made it our life's work. So whatever your decision is regarding us as a pack, we're not going to leave you without the ability to live as happily as you want to, okay?"

It wasn't as though Yuri could agree, or disagree, so he just went back to tracing the letters of Makkachin's name like Viktor hadn't said anything at all. The alpha didn't press him for a reaction.

Fact: Viktor was helping him become educated. 

So far? So good.

**αΩα**

Yuri spent the evening writing pages and pages and pages of what he learned. Not only did Viktor encourage him to practice as he retreated to his room for the evening, but it was so _thrilling_ to be able to exercise a new skill, one he'd always desired. He stayed up late, long after Yuuri had brought by dinner and he'd barely remembered to tear himself away to eat. Viktor had given him a couple pages of everything they had worked on written correctly and encouraged him to only look at it when he wanted to check to make sure he was doing it right. Soon, he didn't even need to look at them, and he was writing faster. 

The sky was growing lighter by the time he couldn't keep his eyes open any more, and he fell asleep in his nest with the notebook still in his hands. 

Whether it be because the light kept increasing as the minutes ticked by, or that he wasn't used to sleeping through the morning, he slept fitfully. Vaguely, he was aware of when Yuuri came to drop off his breakfast and quietly said his good mornings, but instead of the warm, gentle voice that he'd grown used to, it seemed dark, sinister. A rough accented Russian that didn't match Yuuri's lilting tone. He felt a bruising grip on his arms, his hips, and woke himself up by gasping, only to fall under the fractured cover of sleep once more. His own hands felt like they were reaching, reaching toward the door where he knew warmth lay behind, but he couldn't grasp the handle. It was too far away. Desperately, he tried to wake himself up, but sleep held him as tight as the straps that had once held him down. He felt himself scream, the air passing through his throat without catching anything that would make a sound, give a signal. Suddenly, everything holding him felt looser, and his mind completely clouded over in dark.

When he awoke, the light from his window showed it was later in the day. With a trembling hand, he pushed himself up to find that his blankets were tangled. One wall of his nest, near his feet, had been toppled onto the floor. The room reeked of distress, and more eked out as he remembered what had caused it. Stumbling over to the vanity, he struck a match to light the candle that would take away the sticky, sour stench and he wrapped his arms around his middle. Taking a deep breath, he tried to force his heart to beat slower, willing it to calm down so he could think straight. He remembered Yuuri's voice, the way he so freely gave off calm and ached for it. But Yuuri had promised he wouldn't do it again. Whimpering at the thought, and then even more at what he was wanting, he forced himself to turn and go into the bathroom. 

He rushed through a shower, scrubbing his scent glands until they were raw, and pulled on the first things he grabbed from the armoire. Before he left the room, which thankfully didn't stink anymore, he blew out the candle. The tray he picked up from the floor was full of some Japanese food that he didn't bother to eat before going to find Viktor, notebook tucked under his arm. He was eager to put the morning behind him and learn more, needed to stuff his head with something other than the nightmare. The alpha was in his office again, this time working on a laptop, glasses on, and the smile he had for Yuri was one of relief. The dogs sat in front of him, recognizing the tray he held was full of food and wagged their tails hopefully.

"I was worried when you didn't eat your breakfast," he greeted, shuffling space for his lunch tray on the coffee table. If he noticed Yuri's stilted movements as he sat down, he didn't comment. "I thought maybe I had said something yesterday that upset you."

Yuri rolled his eyes dramatically and shoved the notebook into Viktor's surprised hands. The alpha flipped through it, his eyes getting brighter and heart lips getting bigger as he realized how much Yuri had written. The sight of it left a tingle of satisfaction bubbling up in the pit that had made itself at home in his chest. 

"You must have stayed up til dawn working on this! It's almost completely filled!" Viktor laughed, giving the notebook a proud pat. Yuri flushed, bowing his head to hide a small smile as he pulled a bowl of rice off the tray and began to eat. The tea and soup were cold, so he ignored those in favor of the rest of the meal. Viktor noticed this and went over to a samovar and plugged it in for a fresh cup. "You're learning very fast, so that's good. Do you want to keep working on writing today?"

He laughed when Yuri nodded with a mouth full of food. The rice had some sort of green flakes in it that gave it a savory flavor. Between Viktor's praise and Yuuri's cooking, the morning faded away into nothing.

"Okay. We'll do that. But first," Viktor came to sit on the couch, shooing the dogs away as he did, "There's something that is more important than reading or writing. Your baby…" Yuri froze mid-bite to listen, not looking, "Have you seen a doctor? Did… Miras have you get checked over?"

Yuri looked down and shook his head. He hadn't felt any of the symptoms, really, that other omega seemed to exhibit with being pregnant. The only reason he knew was he hadn't bled when he was supposed to, and his scent changed. It had been subtle when he first left, but present just the same, and the beta, the officer, and the two alpha seemed to pick up on it right away. The scent had grown stronger, a sweet edge to his normal citrus and wood, so he'd figured that was how they could tell. 

Viktor sighed at his answer, "Of course he didn't…" he muttered, "Well, I'd like to arrange for a doctor to come here and check you over, Yuri. We've done our best to make sure your meals are as healthy as possible, but according to the missing omega notice I showed you yesterday, you've been missing for three weeks. You've been here for one of those, and normally we would have had a doctor here immediately, but we wanted you to feel safe before suggesting something that could stress you out." 

When Yuri still didn't move, but wasn't about to bolt away, Viktor shifted forward so he could better see his face. Yuri flinched away.

"The doctor I have in mind is a personal friend." He said softly, "He's not Russian. He is from Switzerland. I told him about you last night after you went to bed, and he offered to examine you late next week. He's an omega, too, so he knows a lot more than a lot of alpha Russian doctors. He will be respectful, and has no reason to turn you over to authorities here. He's helped out most of the omega we've sheltered, and is usually the one that gets omega set up in whatever care center they choose when they leave here. It'd be better to know that you and your baby are healthy, right? He'll also go over all your options, make sure you know what is available to you. Does that sound alright?"

The alpha waited for Yuri to take in the information. An omega doctor just wasn't something that one saw. Yuri had certainly never heard of one, but anyone that had been an authority figure in his life had always been beta or alpha. That was just how it was. Hesitantly, he nodded and took another slow bite of his rice. 

Viktor smiled relief and moved with care back to the samovar to fill two cups of tea. He placed one on the tray and took his seat again. "Thank you, Yuri. I'll tell him you'll see him. Christophe is a good person, and he'll make sure to take care of you. He visits here often, and was planning on coming to stay next week anyway, so eventually you two would have probably met anyway, even without being pregnant. He and I went to university together, so I've known him a very long time."

Yuri continued to eat, sipping at the fragrant jasmine tea Viktor had just given him. 

"He'll go over all the omega refuge and care centers he works with, too, so if you decide that you'd like to move on, you can choose one that will work best with what you want. Okay?" Viktor sounded strained as he offered that last information. Yuri looked down at the delicate tea cup he was holding, a thin porcelain that he would never have dreamed touching at any other place he'd stayed. It was delicately painted with blue roses and vines and was easily a work of art in and of itself. 

The idea of leaving didn't sit well. But having the option did. He would just have to see what this omega 'Christophe' had to say.

When Yuri didn't give any other response, Viktor moved on to the subject of what he thought they could work on that afternoon. It was an easier topic for Yuri, too, though he was slightly miffed that Viktor insisted they spend some time learning sign language. It wasn't that he didn't want to be able to communicate better, he just really, really liked being able to finally write and wanted to do that more. 

The next few days they settled into a pattern. Yuri would stay up late, practicing whatever he had learned from Viktor that day. He didn't sleep in quite as long as he had before, and thankfully the nightmare didn't return. He would take breakfast in his room to shower and dress, and then he'd find Viktor wherever he was and they'd continue. They would study until late in the afternoon when Yuri would go back to his room to practice and it started all over again. Viktor would have them study in different places, too. Throughout the day, they would move rooms to the kitchen, Viktor's office, the library, the living room, or even go out into the garden. Yuri wondered at how Viktor didn't seem to have a job, and how Yuuri was the one that always seemed to leave early and return late, but their topics of conversation didn't cover that.

Instead, he learned that Viktor was thirty-two years old, Yuuri was twenty-eight, and they met while they were in university. They both danced ballet and Yuuri was selected by his school to do a study abroad semester in Paris where Viktor was studying, and 'the rest is history' as Viktor said. It was clear how much Viktor loved his husband. If he wasn't teaching, he was gushing about Yuuri or their dogs. About how Yuuri loved to read, made 'music with his body' (whatever that meant), liked to garden ('Look how big our roses are! Yusha is a genius.'), tended toward appearing shy, but wasn't ('He's just quiet'), and apparently couldn't hold his liquor to save his life. Yuri had doubts that Viktor could really hold his drink very well either, but wasn't particularly invested in finding out. 

Sign language, it turned out, was something that they both had to learn together. Viktor had learned how to spell things out, and a few basic words, but really it wasn't enough to have full conversations. They would watch instructional videos and Viktor would read passages from books to him as they both tried to decipher the motions on the page. Yuri could at least say that he was hungry, ask for tea, needed to go to his room, that he didn't understand something, or that he did, ask what something was, _hello, bye, yes, no, good morning, good night_ , and they had even started training Junichan and Makkachin to respond to hand signal commands so Yuri could tell them to stop begging or sit, though that was slow going. Viktor assured him that Yuuri was practicing it too, and he was looking forward to seeing Yuri again so they could practice together.

By the end of the third day, he was able to decipher short words enough to begin piecing together some of the sentences in the picture books they'd given him when he'd first arrived. The next day, though, Viktor decided they were going to try something different.

"We're going to cook together." He said as he guided Yuri into the kitchen and handed him a couple sheets of paper. "That's a list of all the ingredients for lunch, and you're going to help me make it. I'll point to what I need, and you'll find it for me, is that okay?"

 _"Yes."_ Yuri signed and mouthed and looked at the list. He was proud that he at least knew all of the letters and sounds, and a few words he already knew. 

"Whatever wasn't labeled, I wrote on a sticker for you. But I also put out a lot of things that aren't on the list so that you might have to search a little for what I’m asking for, yes? That way we can test out how well you're reading and then see what else we need to work on. It's more difficult to tell for me what you know because you can't say the words out loud yet. I'm still working on how to break that Command, but it seems like it could be dangerous. So for now, this will have to do. Does that all make sense?"

It didn't, really, but the instructions for cooking were pretty straightforward, so Yuri just said, " _Yes."_ again and they got started. 

It was certainly a challenge, but one that Yuri found himself gritting his teeth and enjoying, despite mixing up a few ingredients and Viktor telling him patiently to try again. Lunch definitely took longer to prepare, and by the time Viktor was spooning meatballs and a white sauce over some boiled potatoes, Yuri was ravenous. 

He decided that this was probably his favorite dish so far, and he practiced the hand movements in his mind before finally attempting and mouthing along, " _What is this?"_ They had decided that it would be good practice for Viktor to read his lips as well, in case he messed up a word as he signed. 

_"_ _Königsberger Klopse_ ," Viktor responded after swallowing, and he chuckled at how Yuri was already halfway through the meal when they had just sat down, "Do you want me to write it down?"

" _Yes."_ Yuri signed with an emphatic nod. The alpha chuckled again and wrote it down in the notebook that seemed to always be close at hand. When he sat back again, Yuri saw him hesitate and cocked an eyebrow. 

"Ah, you have some sauce. Just above your lip." Viktor pointed to his own face to indicate where, and Yuri flushed as his tongue darted out to try and clear it away. Pink dusted Viktor's cheeks as he shook his head lightly, "It's a bit higher than that."

Yuri tried again and he tasted the savory sauce, but could tell he hadn't got it all by Viktor's sympathetic expression. He opted for his finger, wiping it away, and licking the remnants off, but he could tell all he'd done was smear more of it on his face. Scowling, he reached for the napkin by his hand, but Viktor was already there with his own, hovering above his face.

"May I?" he asked with a fond smile, but his eyes were… darker, somehow. It made Yuri's stomach clench and his heart leap, and he nodded slowly. Viktor was gentle as he moved the cloth over his lip and down the side of his cheek. Yuri wasn't sure if his cheeks were burning from the contact, or the embarrassment of eating so messily. He took a breath, trying to see if Viktor's scent was changed, but found it carefully guarded. "There. That's better." He said softly, and the pitch went right into Yuri's gut. 

His fork trembled slightly as he picked it up again. Viktor was already talking about something cute Junichan had done before Yuri had emerged from his room, but Yuri didn't hear it. He was thinking about how he wanted to feel Viktor touch him again.

**αΩα**

Yuri kept hesitating, his mind warring with how his feet were moving toward their bedroom door. There would be a few steps, and then he'd stop for a moment - wondering if he was doing what was best for himself, if he was trusting these two alpha too quickly. Then his feet would propel him forward, down the hall, and a trill of excitement would flutter in his stomach before the dread would set in again. 

He kept asking himself if it was his previous bonded alpha that was making the decision so difficult. At his core, he was intrigued by both of the alpha that were behind the wooden door. Horror stories, or moments he'd lived through, would then flood his mind, letting fear hold for a moment. Thinking back to how he had been as a child, how much he'd daydreamed in the backyard of having just a person that loved him, that was warm and caring, who would hold him if he ever got scared, or the he could hold if they were sad. He'd imagined a whole and happy life for himself, back then, and to his dismay, he found he still ached for exactly that. It seemed stupid. Like a fairy tale that people told children to give them hope for adulthood, but now he was an adult, and very much one that had seen darker days. He wasn't sure if he was just hoping, just seeing what he wanted to see, or if he was missing something glaringly obvious and would just end back up in another nightmare, or a worse one. 

Finally, he was in front of the door. Viktor had told him all he'd have to do was just come in, and they would try it out. It was just a trial run. If he didn't like it, he had an out. He could just go back to his room and stay, or he could leave the house entirely. A deep breath, and another, and before he could bolt back to his room and slam the door, he shoved the door open. 

This time, it was Yuuri who jumped at the door slamming open and into the wall behind it. Yuuri adjusted his glasses and smiled widely as he stood from the table in front of the window. The omega stood in the doorway, blushing furiously and glaring at the carpet, as if he was trying to force his feet to move forward. Finally they decided the work right and he shut the door, gently, behind him. His hand trembled on the handle, breathing in the domineering scents of the two alpha. 

Yuri could sense the alpha a distance behind him, standing there and letting him take his time. It was appreciated, how Yuuri wasn't in his space immediately. Though, he reminded himself, Viktor had specifically promised there would be no touching from them. It was a relief, partly. He frowned as he realized that he was half expecting Yuuri to wrap his arms around him, pull him close and release those soothing pheromones again. He wanted it.

Instead, he just breathed. There was a distinct earthy and wooden scent, laced with a honey sweetness and punctuated with a sweet citrus. The scents were stronger than his own. Warm and comforting when he wasn't viewing them as a threat. 

"You can release your own scent, Yuri." The alpha told him. How he could tell that was what Yuri was focusing on, he didn't know, but he slowly coaxed his scent glands into relaxing. He was so used to keeping it clamped up, clenched tight and just around himself that it took a bit of time. Tension melted as he let it go, letting it unfurl around him until it lingered and meshed with the alpha pheromones. It complimented and wove in perfectly. "Wow…" he heard Yuuri whisper, and he knew the alpha could smell it too. 

Finally, he turned around. Yuuri's cheeks were tinted and he offered a small smile. 

"Do you want to stay?" He asked timidly, looking pointedly at where Yuri's hand was still on the doorknob, like he was poised to leave. Blinking, he released the metal that had warmed beneath his hand. It had been more to steady himself, and he didn't notice how it looked like he was still undecided. He made his choice. He wanted to try. Yuuri's smile grew and it made Yuri's toes tingle. "Why don't you come sit down? Vitya is still getting ready for bed. He takes a while."

That wasn't surprising, given how many products Yuri could remember framing his side of the counter and how perfect Viktor always seemed to look. He made his way over to the small table with two chairs and sat in the one opposite the alpha, who also sat when he did. 

"It makes me so happy that you decided to give this a chance." Yuuri whispered. Yuri nodded, appreciating that the alpha was keeping the delicate spell that still laid over the room as his scent made itself at home. "I hope we can make you happy too." 

He didn't know how to react, couldn't react. The concept of him being _happy_ was so foreign, so far outside his purview that he hadn't considered the very word in years. The most he'd ever hoped for was comfortable, and that he'd been able to experience in his own room over the last few days. And what was with the alpha, that he just automatically assumed that Yuri would make _them_ happy? Hadn't he been a snarling, hissing burden already? They barely knew him, and beyond Viktor saying they were drawn to his scent, there wasn't much else for them to go on besides that and the hours spent with Viktor teaching him. Nothing really came to mind that made him feel like he was particularly appealing. 

"Yuri, I-…" The alpha faltered, frowning, his voice hoarse with a sudden emotion that Yuri couldn't name. The sweet scent emanating from him spiked with anxiety, prickly and needling, as he spoke. "I'm so sorry that I scared you that first day. I… I would have come to apologize in person, but I wasn't sure you wanted to… to hear from me. Viktor suggested I just do what he did, so… so that's why I didn't bring it up… I thought you might take longer to decide, but I don't want to start this next week without clearing that between us." 

Again, Yuri didn't know how to react. He hadn't even really thought about it, since he'd come to the conclusion to just stay and see what happened. Yuuri looked absolutely miserable over it though, and he realized that this was the first time he was seeing the alpha face to face since he'd shut the door on him that first day. It didn't feel like it, because Yuuri had come by so often to bring him meals or some activity to help keep himself occupied, but the conversation had been decidedly one sided. Yuuri hadn't been able to see his expressions, his eye rolling, his small smiles, didn't know that he had wanted to be around him more. 

So he did the only thing he could think of. He reached over and pat the back of the alpha's hand, twice and nodded. The smile Yuuri gave him was dazzling. It wasn't as bright and toothy as Viktor's, but it was warm and genuine, and it reached his eyes and made them sparkle behind his glasses. He couldn't help give a quirk of his mouth in return. 

"I… I have something for you. It's in my office, though, will you be okay if I leave you here for a moment while I go get it?" 

Waving his hand dismissively, he indicated that he would be fine. Yuuri stood and gave him another grin, this one with excitement mixed in, and hurried out the door.

It gave him a chance to finally look around. The bed he'd glimpsed that first day was humongous. And really, it wasn't like any bed he'd ever seen before. An obscenely large portion of the room was on a raised platform, just a single step, and it looked like the bed was sunk in the middle of it, rather than sitting on top. The wall where a headboard might go was quilted, padded, and the edges of the cherry wood that framed the rim of the sleep space were lined with pillows and blankets. There was a huge cushion that made up the floor of the depression, so fluffed up that it raised the pillows to nearly spill over the edge. It was… a nest. 

Yuri had never heard of alpha that nested, and he wondered why these two did. He didn't have time to ruminate on it too deeply though, as the door behind him opened, making him jump as heavy steam laced with nothing but Viktor and 'clean' enveloped him.

"Yuri!" The alpha hummed gently, and Yuri realized that both alpha didn't raise their voices much in this room. It was soothing, comforting, and he was struck with the notion that this was as much their safe space as his own room had come to be for him. It was a room for sleep, for recovery, for… for affection. "Oh, I am so glad you came to us, darling! But… where is Yusha?"

Yuri pointed toward the door where Yuuri had disappeared, and it didn't seem to phase Viktor in the slightest. Instead, the alpha tipped his nose up and took a deep breath. 

"You fit perfectly." He said reverently, stepping closer and hovering behind Yuuri's chair with his arms braced on the back. "You remember what I said? That we want you to feel safe here?" When Yuri nodded he continued with a heart teasing around his mouth, "Good. Yusha and I cuddle up quite close as we sleep, and you're welcome to join that if you want, or if you want your own space in the bed for now, that's alright too. Sometimes, Yusha tells me I'm too warm and kicks me to the other side, so however you sleep most comfortably is what we want you to do, yes?"

Yuri bobbed his head again, letting his gaze go back to the bed. He wondered if he would want to just curl up in one of the corners, or if he would want to be closer to the alpha. Time would tell, he supposed. 

"Magnificent, isn't it?" Viktor cooed, following his eyes. He was proud of the nest, and Yuri really couldn't blame him. It was unlike anything he'd ever seen before. "Yusha was the one that designed it. Did you know that the Japanese, for the longest time, mostly slept on thin mattresses called 'futon' that were on the floor? I suppose many still honor that practice, and Yusha wanted our den to be a mix of both cultures. It ended up being more of what you might see an omega make, but it's… it's very us, and I hope you find it comfortable too." 

It seemed as close to any permission as he would get, and so Yuri stood and stepped up onto the platform so he could examine it more closely. He walked along the perimeter and could tell that one side smelled more wooden and sweet, while the other was more of that honeyed musk and citrus. The scents were impossible to name, but that didn't matter. They were just Yuuri and Viktor. He wondered if at the end of the week one side would smell more like him than the other. 

Viktor just watched his curiosity patiently, coming a little closer to stand in front of the second window that was framed with the same gossamer curtains that were in the bathroom. Behind him, the lights of the city could be seen through the square panes. He made a striking sight. Dominating without being imposing, and Yuri stepped off the platform to come stand before him, nearly touching. Viktor raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow as he looked down at him, but it wasn't particularly condescending. It was like he was the protector, the head alpha of whatever this little pack would turn out to be, if it even came to be. But he had seen Viktor submit to Yuuri, bow his head before him, look up at him from his knees in adoration. 

He wanted that too, and it surprised him. That he would be so bold as to desire an alpha to bow his head to him, to defer to him in some way. To be seen as an equal, and not lesser because he bled and had a womb that was currently full. He wondered if he could… ask Viktor to submit, if that was too far to push. Without even realizing what he was doing, his hand moved forward, brushing the fabric of Viktor's robe and reaching between it. He found what he was looking for under tight, smooth briefs and squeezed. Hard. 

Viktor's mouth twisted into a smirk, his eyebrow still cocked and his arms folded across his chest. He was only observing and it pissed Yuri off. He squeezed harder, feeling the two round orbs smashed together in his palm. The cock that sprung from them was large, even in its flaccid state, and it nearly made Yuri pull back in panic, but he'd gone too far to back down now. He stared up at Viktor, defiant and searching. 

As he gave another squeeze, this time accompanied by a yank, Viktor tilted his head to look at where Yuri's hand was disappearing between his baby blue robe. His eyes held a spark of something that Yuri didn't recognize. It was like he was intrigued, fascinated… exhilarated? 

"Should I remember this on the fourth day?" Viktor asked, his voice airy with his breath. Yuri held his grip and Viktor didn't shy away from what had to be a painful pressure. The alpha was just taking it, taking what Yuri was giving, and the omega didn't understand why. He'd expected Viktor's scent to sour, to become enraged, but if anything… it had become heavier. Almost milky as more honey seeped around them and Yuri's spiked with his own tang of gentle citrus. The air between them was molten as Viktor brought his palm to hover above Yuri's cheek. Yuri glared up, daring him to touch, but Viktor just let the heat of his palm linger over his skin. "I'll remind you again, darling…" Viktor murmured, his smirk softening into something gentle, "You can touch Yusha and I any way you'd like… but please don't do it in a way that you wouldn't be alright with receiving later. Neither of us would want to scare or hurt you, or push you into something you won't be ready for…"

Yuri gasped and finally released his tight grip, slowly bringing his hand out of Viktor's robe to dangle at his side. Viktor's palm was still above his face, and his eyes twisted into something like longing. 

"You are stunning." He breathed. Yuri's face flooded with red and he stepped back in a rush, nearly toppling Yuuri's chair as his hips hit it. Viktor's hands shot out to either side of him, still not touching, but ready to catch if he fell. The air was suddenly cool, fresher, and Yuri gasped it into his lungs. The alpha looked at him with concern as he righted himself and waved his hand with a half hearted grunt to show he was okay. Viktor chuckled. "I'll just keep that between us for now. But darling, you have to believe that I meant it. You _are_ stunning and anyone who has ever treated you as anything less deserves the worst this world can offer." 

He couldn't look at him. His hand that had just been on Viktor was trembling and his breath came in a quick burst. Before Viktor could say anything more, Yuuri returned with a large bag looking apologetic.

"Sorry… I had left it in the car-" The man faltered as he got a whiff of the scents, of whatever Viktor was sending or masking through their bond. As Yuri looked at him, he just _knew_ that Yuuri understood far more than what his face betrayed. To his credit, the man came to the table with the bag and placed it in front of Yuri and didn't comment on the difference in atmosphere. "I wanted you to have something for this week to make you feel more part of our den, but I didn't want to ask you to pull anything from your nest if you've built one." 

Yuri curiously peeked into the bag. There were several pillows and blankets inside. 

After the smaller alpha returned, things seemed to be easier. Viktor made him blush and giggle as he complimented his taste in soft squishy things, and Yuuri in turn slapped at the arm that was hugging him and pushed him toward the bed. Yuri had pulled a blanket and a pillow from the bag and followed Yuuri who was shoving along a gangly alpha onto the platform. Yuuri practically dumped Viktor into the bed, which made Viktor whine and Yuuri scoff that he was fine. 

As strange as it was to see the intimate interactions, it did make Yuri feel better. They acted as though they were not only mates, but best friends. Or at least, how he would expect friends to act, or seen them act around each other… Yuri had never really made friends easily and any that he might have had were always short lived. 

Viktor apparently preferred the edge and Yuuri the middle, so he climbed over Viktor and curled himself into a ball while Viktor framed him from behind. They both looked up at Yuri and smiled, Yuuri with a blush and Viktor with a wink. 

_How the hell is this my life?_ Yuri asked himself sarcastically, debating on if he should just take the bag of blankets and pillows and run, if he should jump onto the bed to purposefully displace the two, or if he should at least pretend to be an omega that was in a weird situation and curl up as far away as he could from them. Well, if they wanted him as a pack mate, they might as well know what they were getting into.

He threw his pillow and blanket into the mattress and plopped himself down, landing on his knees and displacing a few of the pillows that framed them. The alpha didn't make any protest as he pushed them back into place with a huff and then nestled his entire body under the blanket before peeking out at them warily.

Both of them were just smiling at him, and Viktor was reaching up toward the wall where a row of switches were. One by one, lights started to go out, and there was a moment of complete darkness before a dull glow emanated from one of the lamps. It wasn't enough to really do anything but see the outlines of the furniture, but it was comforting just the same.

"Good night Yuri." Yuuri said softly. 

Yuri blushed from beneath the blanket and curled up in it tighter, glad that the dim light wouldn't be enough to show how he was smiling into his pillow. 


End file.
